Foursquare ITP was part of a team developing enhancements to the Linking Incidents to Customers (LINC) model to quantify better how rail system delays affect passengers. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) “Rush Hour Promise” provides credit to customers who experience rush hour delays of 10 or more minutes. This program puts additional pressure on the agency to identify and minimize delays that affect passengers.
Foursquare ITP worked with a team to update WMATA’s initial version of the LINC model. Instead of using station-to-station vehicle movements, the new model tracks train movements and delays at the track circuit level, providing new insight into delays and other incidents that affect passengers. The new model also uses new clustering methods to associate delays to one train with other trains that may be delayed as a result of congestion in the rail system.
With the updated LINC model, WMATA will be better able to understand how track incidents relate to delays faced by customers, improve its prioritization of track and vehicle maintenance, and keep its “Rush Hour Promise.”
Solutions and Outcomes
- Quantified impacts of maintenance issues and other rail system delays on passengers.
- Improved prioritization of work orders to address most pressing issues facing customers.
- Enhanced data pipeline that supports the digital transformation of WMATA’s rail maintenance and incident records.