We at the Smart Public Transport Lab are engaged in a series of studies devoted to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis on public transport. We do so by conducting international comparisons, combining advancements in network modelling, system design and operations and travel behavior analysis. We conduct original data collection efforts and consider the empirical evidence available from public health and epidemiological studies. In this seminar we provide a brief overview of our current COVID-19 related research activities and present two studies in the spotlight which are led by members of our lab.

• Oded Cats: a brief overview of Covid-19 related research in the Smart Public Transport Lab (slides)

• Panchamy Krishnakumari: Virus spreading in public transport networks - the alarming consequences of the business as usual scenario (slides)

Public transport worldwide is heavily affected by the corona virus pandemic. In a period where sharing and crowding are becoming a public health concern, the connectivity and efficiency offered by mass transport become a potential peril. The presentation will address how we can leverage existing data sources to answer some of the current issues. How quickly and adversely does a virus spread in a public transport system? How many will potentially get infected if pre-pandemic ridership levels are expected while aiming to maintain social distancing? We explore this by studying the evolution of contract networks and an epidemiological model using smart card data from the Washington DC metro network.

•  Danique Ton: The impact of the ‘intelligent lockdown’ on experiences and expectations of train travelers in the Netherlands (slides)

During the ‘intelligent lockdown’ NS (Dutch Railways) saw an immense drop in train travel. Of course, this was the result of the measures imposed by the government. NS, logically, wondered what their customers were planning to do in the (near) future. In order to investigate this, NS and TU Delft jointly set up a research program that investigates the impact of Covid-19 on travel behavior of train travelers on the short term and long term (after Covid-19). Each time drastic changes in the measures are introduced by the government, a new survey is send out to the same group of respondents, to collect information on the changes over time. NS-panel members are asked about their travel behavior, experiences, attitudes and expectations. A total of 46,000 people responded to the initial survey. In this presentation, the first results of this survey will be discussed.

Smart Public Transport Lab Seminar_2020_07_01 from Peyman Ashkrof on Vimeo.