Modeling the effects of integrated rail and property development on the design of rail line services in a linear monocentric city

This paper proposes a new model for investigating the effects of integrated rail and property development on the design of rail line services in a linear monocentric city, in which the property development rights at railway station areas are conferred to a private rail operator. The proposed model allows an explicit consideration of the interaction between two types of agents in the economy: (1) a private rail operator who seeks to optimize rail service variables-rail line length, number and spacing of stations, headway and fare-to maximize its own net profit, which is the sum of revenues from passenger fare-box and property development; and (2) households who choose the residential locations that maximize their own utilities subject to a budget constraint. The solution properties of the proposed model are analyzed, and a heuristic solution algorithm is presented. An illustrative example is used to show the application of the proposed model. The findings show that integrated rail and property development can change a city's land-use pattern and housing market (in terms of housing density, space, and price), and its economic viability is closely related to household income level and residential density of the city.