We've introduced a new set of improvements to the way runtimes are calculated in the timetable that will make editing your trips much more accurate and reliable!
What's new?
When you draw a brand new line, add a detour to a line, extend or shorten a line, or remove or add stops to and from a line, the runtimes for any new segments will be pulled from data in your latest GTFS in Remix. For any new segments you draw in Remix, we will identify all routes that share that corridor in your latest GTFS at the same hour of the day and automatically populate the timetable with that runtime.
How are the runtimes being calculated?
Runtimes for any new segments in the timetable will be pulled from your latest GTFS. This means that, if I'm adding a new segment to Line 1 that runs from Main & 1st St to Main & 2nd St, we will use the following process:
Look at the latest GTFS in Remix to find any lines with segments that run from Main & 1st to Main & 2nd
If we find any overlapping segments in the GTFS
Pull runtimes for that segment at each hour to see which hours overlap with the new trips we're adding. For example, if we have a trip for this segment on Line 1 starting at 6:15 am, we will pull the runtime from other lines in the GTFS for this segment for trips from 6-7 am.
If multiple lines overlap on this segment, we will pull the median runtime across all these segments for specific hours of the day.
If other lines do overlap on this segment, but not at the same hours of interest, we will default to our current method of calculating runtimes using an average speed. For example, if we have a trip for this segment on Line 1 starting at 4 am, but only have trips from other lines in the GTFS for this segment starting at 6 am, we will use the average speed to calculate the runtime.
If we don't find any overlapping segments in the GTFS, we will default to our current method of calculating runtimes using an average speed.
How will I know when I'm using Corridor Runtimes?
You will see a gray triangle in the top right corner of any cell which was calculated using runtimes from your GTFS. It's important to note that these runtimes are calculated on a stop to stop basis, not on a timepoint to timepoint basis, so if you want to see exactly which segments were calculated using corridor runtimes, you should expand your timetable to show all stops. This way you'll be able to see detailed information on the underlying calculations.
When are Corridor Runtimes useful?
This new method of generating runtimes has a variety of implications for your work in Remix. At a high level, all of your costing, number of vehicle estimations, accessibility analysis, and more is based on the most accurate timetable information. At a more detailed level, this removes a lot of the guesswork and manual experience when it comes to editing your timetable. Now when you make a geometry edit, you can trust that the timetable is powered by your own data.