Entropy-based Estimation of Transfers in a Terminal

An intermodal transportation terminal is a facility that provides commuters with easy transfer between many transit modes and providers such as buses, light rail, subway, taxis, airport shuttles, and commuter rails. The probability of a passenger transferring from one mode to another and the estimation of total transfer demand are of great importance to both practitioners and researchers when determining the optimal design alternatives as well as the best control and management policies for daily operation of the terminal. This paper presents a study that uses an entropy-based optimization approach to estimate the transfer demands between the available transportation modes in an intermodal transportation terminal. The development and calibration of the entropy model is presented in the first part of the article, which is followed by a case study at the Sihui Intermodal Terminal in Beijing, China. The study contributes to the literature and practice by offering a real world experience in transfer probability estimation at intermodal terminals. CE Database subject headings: Transfer Demand; Intermodal Transportation Terminal; Entropy Model.