Urban Rail Transit (2016) 2(1):33–45

DOI 10.1007/s40864-016-0036-y http://www.urt.cn/

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

Challenges and Innovative Solutions in Urban Rail Transit

Network Operations and Management: China’s Guangzhou
Metro Experience
Lin He1 • Qiangsheng Liang1 • Siyuan Fang1

Received: 16 December 2015 / Revised: 10 April 2016 / Accepted: 13 April 2016 / Published online: 5 May 2016
Ó The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com

Abstract Urban rail transit operations have changed from safety assessment system and equipment quality index
a single line to a multiline network. The network opera- model, strengthening quality controls for security and
tions have undergone quantitative and qualitative changes, equipment, extensively using information technology to
and operations management is facing rapid internal and ensure the health of the urban mass transit network
external changes. Using the Guangzhou Metro network operation, and implementing sustainable development
operation practices as a case study, this paper first sys- measures.
tematically analyzes the features of the operation scale, the
proportion of urban mass transit, the surge in public Keywords Urban rail transit
Network operations

demand, the security of the operational service capacity, Innovation systems and mechanisms
Passenger flow
reforms to the operation governance structure, the high- forecasting
Transport organization optimization
Safety
speed expansion of staff, and the development of knowl- and emergency systems
Operating information
Lean
edge and skills in urban mass transit networks. The paper management
Knowledge inheritance
Guangzhou metro
then proposes several responses to the challenges that such
networks face; for example, this paper proposes creating an
innovative network operations management system,
1 Characteristics of Network Operations
strengthening the management foundation, creating plans
to promote operation capacity, enhancing security risk
Currently, there are a variety of definitions and interpre-
management and equipment quality management, devel-
tations of urban transit network operations based on the
oping a crisis public relations response, and applying
number of open lines, the total route mileage, or the pas-
information technology. In addition, this paper systemati-
senger volume. These different standards reflect certain
cally describes countermeasures for multiline network
operational characteristics, but more comprehensive mea-
operations, such as developing a management mechanism
sures are necessary to meet specific requirements in dif-
for network operations, actively cultivating staff skills,
ferent cities. Usually, the following three characteristics of
creating innovative transport organization models to
operations are considered as network operation:
enhance operational capacity, establishing a production
service assessment system to continuously improve the 1. Regional coverage With the increasing urban rail
level of transportation service, establishing a quantifiable construction, line mileage has increased rapidly to
form a basic network-level urban rail system that
provides preliminary connectivity and mobility in
& Qiangsheng Liang major areas of some cities in China.
liangqiangsheng@gzmtr.com 2. Station location Optimized transit station location
1
could provide high accessibility with a wide coverage
Guangzhou Metro Group Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510335,
area for travelers, especially in the core areas of cities.
China
The general preferred coverage diameter should be
Editor: Xuesong Zhou limited to within 2 km.

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34 Urban Rail Transit (2016) 2(1):33–45

3. Percentage of urban rail transit use among all travel 1.46 million, which is 34 % more than the volume that was
modes Rail transit has been a major travel mode in forecast for 2017 (1.09 million). This unexpected fore-
urban areas. Its use among all modes of travel has casting underestimation presents great challenges for the
reached more than 30 % and has been over 50 % in stability and reliability of urban rail transit operations and
some urban core areas [1–5]. management [9, 10].

2.3 Old Management Systems Could not Satisfy

2 Challenges of Network Operations Increased Network-Level Operations

The scale of rail lines in some urban rail companies has The existing management systems can barely meet the new
changed from a single line to a network with multiple lines. requirements of network-level transit operation. One main
In future, more companies will face the challenges of reason for this mismatch is that rail system’s service cov-
network-level operations. How to address those large travel erage area has undergone great changes and now covers
demands and improve service quality and efficiency is an from the core area of the cities and the suburbs, extending
important issue. to satellite cities. The old management mechanism has
shown strain in addressing such large-scale rail transit
2.1 Increasing Public Travel Demand Leads operations and management. The other reason is the low
to Great Challenges to Operations efficiency of detailed job specialization in light of large-
and Management scale operations that require quick responses. In traditional
management mode, the division of labor is based on
With the ongoing large-scale urban rail construction, the specific job responsibilities, and the station service
accessibility of urban rail has undergone obvious department and the equipment maintenance department are
improvements. Because of its advantages in safety, punc- generally separated. Furthermore, the equipment mainte-
tuality and speed, urban rail transit has become an indis- nance department is divided into smaller professional
pensable mode of travel. As a result, citizens have divisions (e.g., the rail track, rolling stock, power supply,
increased their demands for higher-quality service. In communication, auto fare collection system (AFC), and
addition, network-level rail operations require more robust electronic departments). This type of division is beneficial
control because challenges along one small part of the line in the early stages of a single-line operation. However,
can have a widespread impact on the whole transit net- network-level operations require more collaboration among
work. In addition, the increased concern among travels different divisions, a higher response rate, and a wider
means that a small operations error can attract a great deal management region, and a more efficient and comprehen-
of public attention, and the negative impacts can be mag- sive management system is imperative [11, 12].
nified by internet exposure or cell phone networks if issue
is not properly addressed in a timely manner [6–8].
3 Potential Solutions for Network Operations
2.2 Inaccurate Travel-Demand Forecasting Causes and Management
Insufficient Supply
The problems with and challenges to network operations
The existing passenger forecasting method only considers can only be solved by developing new views and actions,
travel demands along the single line being planned for an inevitable phase in the development of the urban rail
construction. However, in practice, the demand areas of transit industry.
new lines within a transit rail network are far greater than
those of a single line. The travel demands for new lines
interacts with previous demands and potential new 3.1 Innovation of Network Operation Systems
demands arising from the opening of new lines, which and Mechanisms
makes forecasting the future travel demands of existing
lines and future lines extremely difficult. In this study, we Urban rail transit is entering a stage of increased devel-
consider Guangzhou Metro as an example. For a long time, opment as a result of changes in productivity- and pro-
the average daily passenger volume of Line 1 was steady at duction-related adjustments to network operation
approximately 170,000; however, after many new lines conditions. After 3 years of research and planning that
opened, the volume increased dramatically to 1.1 million. involved the comparison and analysis of metro operation
In 2013, the average daily passenger flow of Line 3 reached systems in domestic and foreign locations, an

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organizational revolution plan was launched in March 3.1.2 Promoting Service Responsibility Delivered
2013. A new management system has been established that to the Primary-Level Organization
uses ‘‘regionalization as the overwhelming majority and
specialization as a supplement’’ to replace the previous The principal regional entity must be established and must
mode of ‘‘specialization as the overwhelming majority and be responsible to the primary-level organization. The
regionalization as a supplement.’’ Four regional operation regional operations center is solely responsible for service
centers were established under the Operations Division to delivery. The operations center is responsible for routine
facilitate the incorporation of a 520-km line into the net- management within its operation zone, including not only
work operations. After 1 year of implementation, this the station service but also all equipment maintenance and
management system has demonstrated its ability to meet emergency responses. By optimizing the organizational
the network’s needs [13, 14]. structure and combining the station attendant staff with the
staff responsible for maintaining passenger interface
3.1.1 Effective Allocation of Operation Management equipment, the two positions will be better coordinated. As
Pressure a result, resource sharing and faster response rates will be
realized, thus strengthening the collaboration
A suitable line length for a relatively complete operation between passenger service and equipment maintenance.
unit is typically 90–150 km. The four existing regional Considering service delivery (e.g., ‘‘customer-oriented,
operation centers of Guangzhou Metro are now undertak- serve society’’) as a starting point, the traditional bound-
ing the operation of the existing network of 260 km and aries of specialized departments are no longer valid;
plan to oversee the operation of 520 km of lines in the instead, each regional manager is now responsible for
future. Each operation center will be responsible for a meeting customers’ demands as quickly as possible.
reasonable area of approximately 130 km of lines. Meanwhile, the reduced range of professional manage-
The guidelines and principles for establishing this ment for each regional operations center creates more
operating system can be summarized as follows: customer opportunities to focus on lean management. To achieve
orientation, service to society, resource sharing, synergetic management goals, it is necessary to strengthen the col-
development, simplicity and efficiency, responsibility and laborative relationship between passenger service and
right, overall arrangement, and moderate competition. equipment maintenance. Performance appraisals of opera-
The organizational structure of the Operations Division tion centers are becoming more precise and effective and
of Guangzhou Metro in 2013 is shown in Fig. 1. are inspiring increasing competition [15].

Fig. 1 Organizational structure of the operations divisions of Guangzhou metro in 2013

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3.1.3 Creating the Mechanism for ‘‘Overall Planning 3.2 Promoting the Planning of Network Operations
and All-Round Consideration, Moderate
Competition’’ 3.2.1 Comprehensive Passenger Flow Forecasting
According to Urban Development
The fact that each operation center generally undertakes the
same work provides a foundation for benign competition. Rail transit passenger flow forecasting should take into
Discrepancies in transportation quality, level of service, account the developing trends of the future network instead
equipment performance, and safety management among of the current single line and should analyze the predicted
the lines can provide motivation for internal improvement trends of rail transit demands at the height of the urban
and innovation among operation centers. The network development. The passenger flow in Guangzhou Metro was
management control center is responsible for unifying forecast by considering both construction time and the
standards, allocating resources and coordinating disposi- results of special passenger flow analyses of newly opened
tions. At the same time, the performance assessment sys- lines. For example, Line 6 opened at the end of 2013, after
tem helps to moderate competition and development. Guangzhou Metro had analyzed its network’s total pas-
senger flow and travel characteristics at the end of 2012.
Traditional passenger flow forecasting methods cannot
3.1.4 Establishing a Front-End and Back-End
reflect gradual changes in the passenger flow distribution
Maintenance System
over time and space; therefore, advanced technologies are
required to construct prediction models for developing
The establishment of a front-end and back-end mainte-
short-term and real-time passenger flow forecasts. Cur-
nance system enables front-end operation centers to focus
rently, we use a preliminary rail transit passenger-flow
on delivering services, promoting equipment maintenance
forecast model and an algorithm to determine the condition
based on resource sharing, and efficiently using and sharing
of network operations. This model is capable of addressing
large equipment. Such a system is conducive to the culti-
work days, holidays, and large-scale activities, and it pro-
vation of different levels of talent and the establishment of
vides data support for transportation planning and holiday
a differentiated technology development path.
operation schemes at the network level and the imple-
1. Promoting the integration of skills in the front-end mentation of gradual improvement plans over different
maintenance system Regionalized operation is imple- time periods [16, 17].
mented to improve the speed of responses to passen- In cooperation with Beijing Jiaotong University,
gers’ service demands. The operations center, as the Guangzhou Metro is involved in an industry–university
front-end, is responsible for the maintenance and repair research program on a science and technology project
of equipment and facilities. For the implementation of called ‘‘The Identification of Mechanisms that Determine
major integration, the major departments are classified Passenger Flow in the Urban Rail Transit Network and the
into four categories: rolling stock, signaling, station Development of the Operations Support System.’’ The
facilities maintenance and infrastructure maintenance. project focuses on network operations and AFC data
A talent team with comprehensive skills is trained and mining. Data from multiple sources (e.g., site properties,
organized to respond quickly to general failures and to line network topology, and train schedules) and techno-
promote the integration of similar major departments logical applications (e.g., statistical analysis, traffic
and optimize the allocation of human resources. behavior analysis, data mining, and cloud computing),
2. Promoting technologies in the back-end maintenance were used to determine the key elements that forecast rail
system A key technology maintenance base that covers transit network passenger flow. This research mainly
electronic, electrical, engineering, mechanical, and includes the methods for extracting and identifying pas-
inspection aspects is established to support network senger flow characteristics based on AFC data, the for-
equipment maintenance at the back-end. Scientific mation mechanism of passenger flow, an urban railway
research, technical renovation, large-scale component passenger flow-forecasting method that satisfies a wide
maintenance, equipment overhaul, and comprehensive range of requirements and the development of the system
monitoring of large-scale equipment are cultivated via that supports rail transit network operations [18].
the construction of a large test/inspection platform and
testing equipment. This arrangement will also improve 3.2.2 Innovations in Rail Operations Based on Different
the ability to address comprehensive emergencies. In Situations
addition, various types of technology are being
applied, and a comprehensive skilled personnel team To adapt to the metro construction period scheme and
is being formed. comprehensive passenger flow forecasting, Guangzhou

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Metro has implemented a 5-year transportation plan simply adding alternative trains. Therefore, we proposed an
designed to develop transportation capacity. Furthermore, unbalanced transport operation method to accommodate
new operation strategies are being implemented to assign the greatest possible capacity increase during peak hours.
the available capacity to segments with high travel The unbalanced transport operation method means that
demands, including scheduling a short-line train during under the same route conditions, some trains are shifted
peak hours, addressing imbalanced transport operations, one direction to another (as shown in Fig. 3) or are turned
and designing train runs with a mix of long and short routes. back to increase the number of available trains moving in
the other direction. This method is developed by analyzing
1. Short-line trains during peak hours
the rail line directions and the time characteristics of the
Guangzhou Metro Line 3 (including the Airport line), transport capacity distribution (the original capacity can
with its Y-shaped topology, is an important north–south move either forward or backward). As a result, this oper-
traffic line in Guangzhou. The passenger flow volume has ation mode can distribute the limited transport capacity in a
increased considerably since Line 3 opened; its full-load scientific and reasonable manner, meet passenger traffic
ratio reaches as high as 153 % during peak hours. In the demands to alleviate congestion during rush hours, and
morning, the peak passenger flows in both directions exist make full use of the existing transport capacity. Since
primarily in the area of Tiyu Xilu station, i.e., the con- 2011, Guangzhou Metro has gradually implemented this
nection point of the ‘Y’. At the end of that section, the new operation mode in Lines 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Although the
passenger flow decreases noticeably [19–23]. total number of available trains did not change, transport
To cut the peak passenger flow within part of Line 3, capacity was increased by more than 10 %, existing con-
which has a ‘Y’ shape and moves in six directions, a sci- gestion was alleviated, and the total cost was kept within a
entific and reasonable method of train scheduling was reasonable range.
proposed after the temporal and spatial passenger flow
3. Trains with mixed long routing and short routing
distribution was analyzed. In the morning rush hour from
Tonghe to Dashi and from Dashi to Tianhe Coach Terminal, Since December 2012, the average daily passenger flow
a short-line train has been added during peak hours (denoted of Line 2 has exceeded 1.2 million. The passenger volume
as a red line in Fig. 2). The transport capacity of the sections of the area from Jiangtai Lu to Sanyuanli accounted for
from Tonghe to Tiyu Xilu and from Dashi to Tianhe Coach 70 % of the total passenger flow. Based on the distribution
Terminal increased by 38 and 5 %, respectively. of travel demands along the line, current transportation
technology, and the full-utilization of infrastructure and
2. Unbalanced transport operation method
equipment, we operate trains with mixed long (full) routes
The morning and evening rush passenger flow is and short (partial) routes. This plan was implemented
notable for several lines that pass through downtown beginning in January 2013 (as shown in Fig. 4). To the
Guangzhou, which has a clear unilateral nature and cen- original long route from Guangzhou South Railway Station
trality, and the unbalanced passenger flow coefficient of the to Jiahewanggang, we added a new short route from
upward and downward directions reached 2.0–4.2. Jiangtai Lu to Sanyuanli (approximately 9.1 km). The
Guangzhou Metro cannot meet the increasing demand by proportion of the full route to the short route is 2:1.
After this new operation mode was applied on week-
days, the transport capacity of both the upward and
downward directions increased by 7 and 33 %, respectively
after taking the long route and the short route. The con-
gestion during peak hours is alleviated, and the train’s full-
load ratio is kept below 90 %, which represents a decrease
of 6–20 % compared with the previous operation scheme.
To some extent, mixed routing makes it easier for pas-
sengers to catch a train. It can also effectively reduce the
number of trains on this line, thus increasing the number of
trains available to Lines 1 and 8.

3.2.3 Increasing Transport Capacity Through Equipment

Renovation

The list of key equipment for capacity upgrades is clearly

Fig. 2 Short-term peak flows for Line 3 established for Guangzhou Metro based on passenger-flow

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Fig. 3 Unbalanced transport operation mode

Fig. 4 Full route and partial

route in Line 2

forecasting and transportation planning. With the new transportation production is effectively enhanced, and the
transport planning process, from the perspective of net- traffic and service indices reach an excellent level [24–26].
work-level rail operations, we predicted the future demand
for trains and proposed a plan to increase train purchases to 3.3 Strengthening Security Risk Management
meet future needs in 2017. This plan ranges from and the Control of Network Operations
improving transport capacity to systematically updating the
signal system, the reentrant line, the vehicle depot and the 3.3.1 Establishing a Full-Coverage Safety Management
other infrastructure. System

3.2.4 Establishing the Comprehensive Assessment System A safety management system was established to achieve
for Transportation Manufacturing Services modular security management. The system includes eight
modules: train operation, passenger transport, fire alarm,
The Comprehensive Assessment System for Transportation equipment, and facilities, construction operations, external
Manufacturing Services is an assessment index system that environment, social security management, and ticketing
is closely related to the key success factors for the core revenue.
strategy objectives. It is based on the principle of the bal-
anced scorecard and uses the corporate vision, the strategic 3.3.2 Establishing a Quantifiable Safety Assessment
plan, the external environment, the organizational structure System
and the operational control goal as orienting principles. A
value map is formed using four dimensions: financial, Based on the main types of operational safety risks men-
customer, internal processes and learning development. tioned in Guangzhou Metro’s regional operations and
The Comprehensive Assessment System for Trans- operational safety module for managers, mathematical
portation Manufacturing Services can be divided into a models of and calculation methods for a quantifiable safety
comprehensive assessment system, a transportation sub- assessment system were constructed. These models and
system, a production subsystem, and a service subsystem. methods used a single line and the operation safety man-
The output assessment results for the rail network and each agement module as the basic unit of evaluation, and treated
region are graded according to a 4-level scale: excellent, the key content and safety management efforts as assess-
good, qualified, and poor. According to the indicators ment factors. This system realizes the quantitative analysis
derived from the assessment system, the ‘‘weaknesses’’ in required for metro safety management operations and
transportation and production services can be identified and forms the Metro Operation Safety Index Assessment Sys-
used to propose targeted improvement measures. When this tem. In addition, it can horizontally compare analyses of
system is implemented, the management and control of each module and the safety status of each line, and it

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refines safety management experiences, vertically analyzes resulting in management difficulties. The traditional ‘‘one-
the security and development trends for the quality of all to-one’’ quality control method will undoubtedly increase
equipment, and reveals the weak points of safety management costs and cannot satisfy the requirements of
management. big data management [28–30].

3.3.3 Strengthening Safety Risk Identification 3.4.1 Establishing an Equipment Quality Assessment Index
and Implementing Dynamic Classified Control
and Prevention The quality assessment system for rail transit equipment is
based on an analytic hierarchy process and comprehensive
A security risk troubleshooting and summary ledger is fuzzy assessment method. It statistically classifies the faults
generated and updated in real time, and all security risks of each subsystem and comprehensively considers the
are classified and graded. Meanwhile, corresponding risk possible effects of these faults. Meanwhile, the system
control measures and emergency measures are developed generates operation performance quality evaluations of all
in advance. In addition, the security warning and emer- of the devices used in the network. The visual and index
gency platform will be developed to perform dynamic evaluation results of these periodic assessments allow the
tracing, monitoring, and identity management. immediate proposal of methods for improving equipment
quality in a short time.
3.3.4 Improving the Emergency Management System By collecting and analyzing equipment performance
data, Guangzhou Metro established an equipment quality
All types of work in the emergency system are performed, assessment model based on the equipment failure rate
constructed, and improved in accordance with the ‘‘one (reliability) and the degree of equipment failure. Based on
network and five databases’’ and ‘‘one platform’’ projects. its own operating experience, Guangzhou Metro estab-
The ‘‘one network’’ is the emergency response network; the lished reliability standards that called for assessing equip-
‘‘five databases’’ are the emergency regulations and plans ment quality on a monthly basis. These assessments
database, the emergency specialist database, the emergency strongly consider equipment failures and the events that
rescue team database, the emergency supplies database, most influenced operations. Moreover, fault impacts and
and the emergency case database; the ‘‘one platform’’ is the reliability calculation results are analyzed using an index-
security and emergency platform [27]. ing process. This process allows Guangzhou Metro to
(1) Following the principle of ‘‘unified planning, clas- obtain quantitative and comparable results and analyze
sified guidance, centralized management and hierarchical them to evaluate the performance of devices over time.
implementation,’’ three levels of the emergency plan sys-
tem, including an overall emergency response plan, 3.4.2 Implementation of Lean Maintenance Management
specific contingency plans and on-site disposal plans, are
established. (2) A full-time rescue team and a part-time Since 2012, Guangzhou Metro has planned and imple-
rescue team are formed according to the metro’s network mented a lean maintenance information system (LMIS).
operation characteristics. (3) A hierarchical mechanism for The structure and workflow of the LMIS are shown in
emergency supply management is designed. All types of Fig. 5. By configuring the equipment maintenance cycles
emergency supply equipment are positioned according to and procedures, processes, job requirements and measure-
their related area of management responsibility and are ment standards in the LMIS, three regulatory issues in
divided into professional emergency supplies, flood con- maintenance operations are addressed: (1) Has the main-
trol, and emergency supplies, and fire emergency supplies. tenance been performed? (2) What maintenance measures
(4) The external emergency links are strengthened. Cur- have been performed? (3) What is the result of the
rently, an emergency response mechanism has been maintenance?
established that includes cooperation among different Lean maintenance quality control is realized by incor-
departments, such as fire control, police, the community, porating a revised lean business outline and process into
public transport, electrical power, and the gas supply the system. The information about the scene is recorded
station. using photographs to further standardize staff work habits,
and the recorded documents can also support inspection.
3.4 Promoting the Quality Management The general process is as follows: (1) On a handheld ter-
of Equipment at the Network Level minal, the operator fills out a work order that includes
measurement information regarding the procedures and
Under network-level operations, the location of equipment uploads the data for monitoring. (2) On the handheld ter-
has changed from a concentrated point to a regional area, minal, the maintenance operator records the actual material

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Fig. 5 Structure and workflow of the lean maintenance information system

consumption of spare device options and uploads the val- board systems, microblogs, and service desks), and super-
ues to the asset management system along with the work vising and analyzing public opinion data from special
order. (3) The LMIS strengthens the analysis of data trends events.
regarding the equipment’s state, draws attention to unusual
states, and provides additional maintenance information.
3.5.2 Establishing a Crisis Classification System
Guangzhou Metro has successively applied LMIS for
Lines 1, 3 and 6 since 2014 to achieve lean maintenance
Crises are divided into four levels: social discussion,
management goals, which include management that is
mainstream media involvement, network media involve-
standardized, scientific, lean, and information-based. This
ment, and opinion leader involvement. Guangzhou Metro
system is helpful for building an effective application
prejudges and evaluates each crisis and provides disposi-
technology platform for the equipment maintenance in
tion rights and coping strategies for different levels of
future large-scale line network operations. LMIS allows
crises.
maintenance operations to be adjusted to meet a manage-
ment standard, achieve operational guidance and project
coordination, and perform monitoring and track results. 3.5.3 Attention to Passengers’ Right to Know and to be
Moreover, it facilitates data analysis. Comprehensive, Appeased
detailed records of maintenance job data permit follow-up
data analyses and data mining, which provide strong sup- Guangzhou Metro has been focusing on effectively navi-
port for the transition of equipment maintenance from a gating communication channels. When fault-related delays
plan-based system to a condition-based one [31]. or other unforeseen circumstances occur, Guangzhou
Metro informs passengers of relevant information through
3.5 Construction of the Public Relations Crisis traditional broadcasting, notices and the passenger infor-
Response System mation display system in a timely fashion; in addition, it
satisfies passengers’ right to know through high-tech
3.5.1 Establishing a Crisis Pre-Warning System communication platforms including a mobile phone app, a
microchannel, microblogging, radio, and television [32,
Strategic research on important activities will be performed 33].
before the activities are implemented at Guangzhou Metro. Many humanized measures have been launched in
Such research includes the strict supervision, identification, response to passengers’ demands when operation faults
classification, and analysis of any early warning about occur, such as offering free tickets, establishing waiting
factors that could cause a crisis or the appearance of a areas where passengers can wait for connections to public
crisis. This research will be performed by collecting transport, printing emergency bus schedules and estab-
information about public opinion from print media, net- lishing green channels to help passengers who need to
work media, television, private media (such as bulletin catch a plane, train or long-distance bus.

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3.5.4 Enhancing Communications and Co-Construction 3.6.2 Overall Planning and Step-by-Step Implementation
of the Information System
To enhance communication between the metro company
and social institutions and the public, Guangzhou Metro During the construction of the information system,
has developed colorful communication and co-construction Guangzhou Metro insists on a strategy plan that supports
activities with the public, e.g., communicating with pas- strategy and business and readjusts its informatization
sengers by organizing metro afternoon teas, station man- process gradually; in contrast, enterprise promotes the
ager reception days, and open metro days, which advocate construction of information systems through overall plan-
traveling politely and safely to help more citizens ‘‘enjoy, ning and step-by-step implementation and builds the nec-
understand and be able to use the metro service,’’ and by essary information management system gradually in four
organizing regular communication and co-construction layers: a business management layer, a channel access
activities with the Guangzhou Disabled Persons’ Federa- layer, a management support layer, and a decision support
tion, community neighborhoods and the metro branch of layer. At present, Guangzhou Metro has planned nearly 100
the public security bureau. management information systems that cover each key
aspects of network operations management. Guangzhou
Metro implements unified maintenance and resource shar-
3.6 Attention to the Construction of an Information
ing to ensure the stability of its information systems and
System for Network Operation
performs the management functions of guaranteeing sta-
bility, providing efficient management, improving effi-
New requirements for network operation management
ciency and promoting development. The general design of
have been continuously proposed; operation management
the information system is shown in Fig. 6.
must be improved via information tools. Guangzhou
Metro has widely adopted information tools to build an
3.6.3 Management Information Systems for Improving
urban rail transit enterprise with a normative governance
Network Operations
structure, an effective management system, a healthy
financial structure and industry-leading project manage-
After nearly 10 years of information system construction,
ment, operation services, technological innovation, and
Guangzhou Metro has built and used 72 management
profitability.
information systems. Information technology tools and
measures are implemented throughout the operation man-
3.6.1 Scientifically Establishing a Top-Level Information agement of the entire network and provide various data
System flows and information flows pertaining to the efficiency of
transportation services and to analytic support. Along with
Urban rail transit operation management involves passen- the use of various instant messaging tools, these measures
ger transport service, equipment quality management, provide a strong guarantee of promoting operation
enterprise operation management, staff management, and management.
other aspects. With the rapid development of IT technol-
1. The collective management ideas of the enterprise
ogy, information systems should account for the funda-
decision-making layer are achieved.
mental needs of operation management, and focus on
management philosophies and goals for network opera- The information system applies an enterprise strategy
tions; only after such consideration should a top-level and supports the rapid development of business, achieves
information system be developed. integrated management through the use of key links,
Along with the network operation and management guarantees the normative operation of the overall enterprise
modes, Guangzhou Metro follows a research work flow for by strengthening group control, and promotes the refine-
information technology. Through a strong business-ori- ment of operation management by optimizing business
ented awareness based on an operation and management systems.
strategy, a business-focused information system is estab- An integrated platform for asset information manage-
lished, which includes an information management and ment is constructed. As asset-intensive enterprises, urban
control mode and the overall planning, development, and rail transit enterprises use advanced operation equipment
application of information technology maintenance and and complex techniques. Most of the important equipment
optimization. Operation management and control objec- is valuable. With the expansion of the rail transit network,
tives can be achieved by strengthening the system’s these assets becomes larger in scale and more varied in
architecture, integrating capacity and introducing a mature type, which poses a challenge for value increases and
and advanced technology platform. maintenance. In this context, Guangzhou Metro has shifted

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Fig. 6 General design of the

information system

the focus of operation from equipment-operation centered asset-related management modules (including finance,
to asset-operation centered. This focus follows the asset contracts, projects, operation, and maintenance) are
life-cycle management and attempts to integrate the man- implemented to allow construction, maintenance, and
agement of eight stages (i.e., route design, construction, finance to reach agreements regarding asset management
procurement, acceptance and installation, handover, oper- and confirm the transparency and standards of the entire
ation, maintenance, and disposition) and certain functions operation chain during the asset life-cycle management
(i.e., finance, contract, procurement, maintenance, project process.
management, and technical management). Third, an integrated system for asset information man-
First, the unified classification and its standard of fixed agement is established. A detailed asset life-cycle man-
assets are established. In accordance with accounting rules, agement scheme is developed, including different service
Guangzhou Metro proposes four principles for compiling a functions (e.g., project initialization management, contract
fixed asset catalog: stability, independent utility, similar management, a procurement plan, materials management,
life cycles, and significance. Meanwhile, to complement project settlement, physical transfer, turning supplies into
the references of national standards and industry classifi- fixed assets, servicing and maintenance, and asset retire-
cations, Guangzhou Metro developed a fixed asset catalog ment). Meanwhile, the corresponding information system
with 14 main types, 93 s-tier types, and 381 third-tier modules are established to effectively support the man-
types, which has become the standard language for enter- agement of the asset life cycle, solidify the standard service
prises and systems. The catalog unifies various manage- process, and connect different function modules, resulting
ment standards, including contracts, delivery, using fixed in collaborative management.
assets, and fixed asset granularity for crucial nodes,
2. The operational efficiency of management is
resulting in improved data quality.
improved.
Second, the asset management process is optimized.
Guangzhou Metro considers that six abilities must be Information systems provide a collaborative work plat-
developed for integrated asset management: asset invest- form, a convenient business system, and high-efficiency
ment strategy ability based on integrated considerations, communication tools.
standard management ability, the ability to provide main- In terms of passenger services, Guangzhou Metro has
tenance and extend the life of the asset, cost control ability, successively developed Android-based and IOS-based
internal control ability based on risk management, and mobile apps, an official We-Chat account, and an official
transparent information-sharing ability. Based on these six website. These measures not only offer an information
key abilities, the management and process optimization of platform for passengers’ travel needs but also provide more

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effective means for passengers to communicate and for the requirement of instant contact for staff, provides a rapid
development of related business. and stable platform for transmitting operation safety
Example 1: Smartphone App Guangzhou Metro’s information, and provides an important mobile portal
smartphone app has completed its second phase of con- through which enterprises can post important messages and
struction. In addition to its original functions, such as metro staff can learn enterprise-related information.
line inquiry, station information, street scenes at exits, and
3. Advanced risk-prevention tools are provided.
public service information, the app adds many practical
functions, such as photo-realistic navigation and interac- An honest risk prevention information system is formed
tions. There are approximately one million users; to date, using normative and transparent workflow tools and strict
35 % of these are 30-day active users. permission settings provided by the information system.
Regarding internal management, four dimensions are
4. Significant economic benefit is created.
involved in the application of operation management
information: production scheduling, information commu- The extensive application of an information technology
nication, equipment quality management, and asset man- system to key actions, including expense control, central
agement. Regarding production scheduling and management of funds, and Oracle sourcing, improves
information communication, Guangzhou Metro greatly business efficiency and effectively reduces production and
improves the efficiency of information sharing and com- management costs.
munication by using Glink, which is a self-developed
mobile terminal communication app.
Example 2: Glink The operation management applica- 4 Conclusions
tion functions of the Glink system are continually devel-
oped. To meet enterprise production management’s instant The successively increasing scale of urban rail transit lines
messaging needs for internal collaboration, operation gives rise to a shift from a quantitative to qualitative focus
management, and system maintenance technicians develop in operation management. As a result, conventional oper-
applications that allow enterprise inner management to ation management methods cannot satisfy the needs of
function dynamically. For instance, technicians have network operation management. Therefore, it is necessary
exploited several functions of Glink (e.g., daily operations, to analyze and study system management methods and to
the micro e-book, and drawing), which are conductive to take action from the viewpoint of urban development. This
mobile office management and improve the application of study systematically proposes the mechanisms of innova-
operation data information. tive network operation management, the creation of the
The Glink system provides platform-level functions, management foundation of a network operation system and
such as instant messaging, message alerts, a cooperative staff training, the planning, and preparation of network
office, a dynamic work log and an enterprise address book operation services with advanced capabilities, the
and effectively handles complex malfunctions and dis- strengthening of risk control and emergency system net-
patches information via words, figures, and voice, this works, the establishment of an evaluation system and a
reducing the misjudgment of malfunctions and dispatching refined maintenance system to promote the operation of an
mistakes. In addition, the system provides daily system equipment quality management network, the creation of a
mobility and ensures the privacy of internal information. public relation crisis response system within the operation
Figure 7 presents the special columns that have been network, and improvements in the efficiency and level of
implemented to date. operation management through the construction of an
The development and application of the Glink system information-based operations system.
combines Guangzhou Metro’s internal business message The congruent relationship between challenges and
with industry-leading technology and meets the countermeasures are listed as below (Table 1).

Fig. 7 Special columns applied in the Glink System

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Table 1 The congruent relationship between challenges and countermeasures

Potential solutions Challenges
IPTD ITDF NNLO

Innovation of network operation systems and mechanisms

Effective allocation of operation management pressure 4
Promoting service responsibility delivered to the primary-level organization 4
Creating the mechanism for ‘‘Overall planning and all-round consideration, moderate competition’’ 4
Establishing a front-end and back-end maintenance system 4
Promoting the planning of network operations
Comprehensive passenger flow forecasting according to urban development 4 4
Innovations in rail operations based on different situations 4
Increasing transport capacity through equipment renovation 4
Establishing the comprehensive assessment system for transportation manufacturing services 4
Strengthening security risk management and the control of network operations
Establishing a full-coverage safety management system 4
Establishing a quantifiable safety assessment system 4
Strengthening safety risk identification and implementing dynamic classified control and prevention 4
Improving the emergency management system 4
Promoting the quality management of equipment at the network level
Establishing an equipment quality assessment index 4
Implementation of lean maintenance management 4
Construction of the public relations crisis response system
Establishing a crisis pre-warning system 4 4
Establishing a crisis classification system 4
Attention to passengers’ right to know and to be appeased 4
Enhancing communications and co-construction 4
Attention to the construction of an information system for network operation
Scientifically establishing a top-level information system 4
Overall planning and step-by-step implementation of the information system 4
Management information systems for improving network operations 4
IPTD Increasing Public Travel Demand leads to great challenges to operations and management
ITDF Inaccurate Travel Demand Forecasting causes insufficient supply
NNLO New characteristics of Network-Level Operations present challenges to existing management systems

These proposals have been effectively applied to the link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were
network’s operation management and have resulted in an made.
increased competitive effect. This research and these
practices not only ensure the sustainable development of
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