Development of a Real-Time Stringlines Tool to Visualize Subway Operations and Manage Service at New York City Transit

In 2013, with real-time train arrival data becoming widely available through its general transit feed specification real-time (GTFS-RT) feed, New York City Transit (NYCT) recognized the potential for new service management tools capable of on-the-fly performance visualization and reporting. This paper describes the process taken by NYCT to develop and evaluate a transit analysis tool that uses information from automatic train supervision countdown clocks, transmitted as GTFS-RT data, to visualize train spacing, movement, and related parameters. The main part of this tool is a new web application that uses stringline (time–distance) charts for monitoring operations in the system as they happen. Operational problems (e.g., delays, train bunching, or gaps in service) can be identified more easily on stringline charts than on the traditional model board display to help managers and operating personnel deliver continuous service performance improvements. The application was built in-house with the use of existing data resources (the GTFS-RT feed of predicted train arrivals) and open-source tools. In-house development minimized cost and allowed for maximum flexibility to add features in the future. The development team successfully employed a methodology of iterative development to incrementally review, add features, and test the application without having to go through very long design and requirements cycles. As more transit agencies release GTFS-RT data to the public, they may see opportunities to take a similar approach to develop new tools for internal use quickly and with little additional cost

Designing New York City Subways\u27 Key Performance Indicators to Improve Service Delivery and Operations

A balanced scorecard (BSC) is widely used in private industry and the public sector to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and to help achieve strategic outcomes. This concept is widely used in the transit industry for carrier-regulator contractual relationships and performance monitoring. After a fact-finding mission to Southeast Asia, New York City Transit (NYCT) adopted KPIs for continuous improvement of service delivery performance. Subway line-level KPIs based on BSC concepts were introduced in conjunction with a line general manager program and numerous initiatives for incremental performance management. After a reorganization that re-created functional departments—car equipment, stations, and rapid transit operations—BSC was applied at departmental levels and resulted in maintenance-oriented passenger environment survey (PES)-KPIs and operations-oriented service (S)-KPIs. Weightings of indicator subcomponents were assigned as a result of surveys of customer priorities. KPIs provided one number that represented overall performance, and they also made it possible to identify each subcomponent\u27s contribution. The KPI design processes generated public feedback; this feedback prompted NYCT to tighten underlying performance standards. Today, PES-KPIs and S-KPIs are reported monthly to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board\u27s NYCT Committee. Advantages of these indicators include high-level visibility and ease of communication, timely report availability, and detailed diagnostics. These factors, together with a reinvigorated competitive spirit between divisions triggered by reorganizations, resulted in a much more proactive organization focused on using performance scores to take corrective action. Wait assessment, the principal component of the S-KPI, improved 2.5% on the heavily crowded 1 through 6 lines in 2012 compared with 2011, even as ridership increased steadily systemwide