This study investigates the behavioral reactions to the Washington Metro SafeTrack Project, a series of accelerated safety projects that required either single-track operations, or complete closure of a line segment. Travel behavior and multi-modal system performance data were collected before, during, and after each “surge” of the SafeTrack Project using panel surveys, smartphone-based surveys, DOT traffic sensors, and emerging online traveler information services. This research integrates information of all these sources to develop multi-modal, descriptive travel behavior models for transit network disruptions. Findings from this research could help agencies struggling with aging transportation infrastructure to better plan for such scenarios in the future.

Bio:

Dr. Shanjiang Zhu is a tenured Associate Professor in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE), George Mason University (GMU). He graduated from Tsinghua University with a B.S degree in 2003 and a M.S in 2005. During 2001-2003, he studied at the Ecole Centrale de Nantes, in France, as a dual-degree student. He obtained his Ph.D. degree at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in 2010 and worked two years as a Research Scientist at the University of Maryland before joining GMU. Dr. Zhu is experienced in travel demand modeling, travel behavior analysis, advanced travel survey method and transportation data analytics, integrated demand and simulation models, traffic operations and demand management, and transportation economics. Dr. Zhu is PI or Co-PI for research projects funded by the National Science Foundation, US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Virginia Department of Transportation, and the District of Columbia Department of Transportation. Dr. Zhu has been serving on Travel Behavior and Value and Transportation Economics Committees, Transportation Research Board. He is Virginia Governor’s appointee on the Technical Advisory Board of Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and is a fellow of GMU P3 policy center. Dr. Zhu is the recipient of 2014 Young Research of the Year Award, International Transport Forum, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).