PT Network Mapping with pt2matsim

This skill helps map transit schedules onto road networks using the pt2matsim library, troubleshoot mapping issues, and optimize parameters for different network scenarios.

When to Activate This Skill

Activate this skill when user mentions:

•"Map transit schedule to network"
•"Run PT mapper"
•"PT mapping is stuck/slow"
•"Too many artificial links"
•"Network is not connected"
•"PublicTransitMapper"
•"pt2matsim mapping"

Workflow

Step 1: Validate Prerequisites

Before running PT mapper, ensure you have:

bash

# Check required files exist
ls -lh transitSchedule.xml
ls -lh network.xml.gz
ls -lh pt2matsim/work/pt2matsim-25.8-shaded.jar

# Count stops and routes
grep -c '<stopFacility' transitSchedule.xml
grep -c '<transitRoute' transitSchedule.xml

# Check network size
gunzip -c network.xml.gz | grep -c '<link '

Critical: Network must be multimodal (car + walk + rail) for best results, even for PT-only scenarios.

Step 2: Prepare Network for PT Mapping

Run network cleaning tool to ensure connectivity:

bash

./mvnw exec:java \
  -Dexec.mainClass="org.matsim.project.tools.PrepareNetworkForPTMapping" \
  -Dexec.args="network.xml.gz network-cleaned.xml.gz"

This tool:

•Ensures all subway/rail links have 'pt' mode
•Runs NetworkUtils.cleanNetwork() to remove disconnected components
•Reports mode statistics

Validation:

bash

# Check for "Network is not connected" warnings
# Should see: "Network cleaning complete"

Step 3: Assess Network Coverage

Determine which mapping strategy to use:

bash

# Extract stop coordinates
grep -oP 'x="\K[^"]*' transitSchedule.xml | head -20
grep -oP 'y="\K[^"]*' transitSchedule.xml | head -20

# Extract network bounds
gunzip -c network-cleaned.xml.gz | grep -oP 'x="\K[^"]*' | sort -n | head -1  # Min X
gunzip -c network-cleaned.xml.gz | grep -oP 'x="\K[^"]*' | sort -n | tail -1  # Max X
gunzip -c network-cleaned.xml.gz | grep -oP 'y="\K[^"]*' | sort -n | head -1  # Min Y
gunzip -c network-cleaned.xml.gz | grep -oP 'y="\K[^"]*' | sort -n | tail -1  # Max Y

Decision Tree:

•Stops within network bounds: Use real network mapping (Step 4A)
•Stops outside network bounds: Use artificial link mode (Step 4B)
•Unsure or mixed: Start with artificial mode (fastest, 1-2 minutes)

Step 4A: Real Network Mapping (Recommended if network covers stops)

Create PT mapper config:

bash

java -cp pt2matsim/work/pt2matsim-25.8-shaded.jar \
  org.matsim.pt2matsim.run.CreateDefaultPTMapperConfig \
  pt2matsim/work/ptmapper-config.xml

Edit configuration for your scenario type:

For Metro/Subway (large station spacing):

xml

<module name="ptmapper">
  <param name="networkFile" value="network-cleaned.xml.gz"/>
  <param name="transitScheduleFile" value="transitSchedule.xml"/>
  <param name="outputNetworkFile" value="network-with-pt.xml.gz"/>
  <param name="outputScheduleFile" value="transitSchedule-mapped.xml.gz"/>

  <!-- Metro parameters: wider search radius -->
  <param name="maxLinkCandidateDistance" value="500.0"/>
  <param name="nLinkThreshold" value="15"/>
  <param name="maxTravelCostFactor" value="20.0"/>
  <param name="candidateDistanceMultiplier" value="3.0"/>

  <!-- Robust router for potentially disconnected network -->
  <param name="networkRouter" value="AStarLandmarks"/>

  <!-- Performance -->
  <param name="numOfThreads" value="4"/>
</module>

For Bus (dense station spacing):

xml

<module name="ptmapper">
  <param name="networkFile" value="network-cleaned.xml.gz"/>
  <param name="transitScheduleFile" value="transitSchedule.xml"/>
  <param name="outputNetworkFile" value="network-with-pt.xml.gz"/>
  <param name="outputScheduleFile" value="transitSchedule-mapped.xml.gz"/>

  <!-- Bus parameters: tighter search -->
  <param name="maxLinkCandidateDistance" value="100.0"/>
  <param name="nLinkThreshold" value="8"/>
  <param name="maxTravelCostFactor" value="10.0"/>
  <param name="candidateDistanceMultiplier" value="1.6"/>

  <!-- Fast router for connected network -->
  <param name="networkRouter" value="SpeedyALT"/>

  <param name="numOfThreads" value="4"/>
</module>

Run mapping:

bash

java -Xmx10g -cp pt2matsim/work/pt2matsim-25.8-shaded.jar \
  org.matsim.pt2matsim.run.PublicTransitMapper \
  pt2matsim/work/ptmapper-config.xml

Monitor progress:

•Watch for "Routes with failures: 0" (success)
•If stuck >10 minutes: Process may be hung (see troubleshooting)

Step 4B: Artificial Link Mode (Fast, Independent PT Network)

For PT-only or disconnected networks:

xml

<module name="ptmapper">
  <param name="networkFile" value="network-cleaned.xml.gz"/>
  <param name="transitScheduleFile" value="transitSchedule.xml"/>
  <param name="outputNetworkFile" value="network-with-pt.xml.gz"/>
  <param name="outputScheduleFile" value="transitSchedule-mapped.xml.gz"/>

  <!-- Artificial mode: distance = 0 -->
  <param name="maxLinkCandidateDistance" value="0.0"/>

  <!-- Disable mode-specific rules for pure artificial -->
  <param name="modeSpecificRules" value="false"/>
  <param name="routingWithCandidateDistance" value="false"/>

  <param name="numOfThreads" value="4"/>
</module>

Advantages:

•Extremely fast (1-2 minutes for large networks)
•No network connectivity issues
•Works for any scenario

Disadvantages:

•Creates artificial loop links (pt_STATION_UP, pt_STATION_DN)
•No integration with ground transportation

Run mapping:

bash

java -Xmx10g -cp pt2matsim/work/pt2matsim-25.8-shaded.jar \
  org.matsim.pt2matsim.run.PublicTransitMapper \
  pt2matsim/work/ptmapper-config.xml

Expected completion: <2 minutes

Step 5: Validate Mapping Results

bash

# Check completion message
tail -20 pt2matsim/work/ptmapper.log

# Expected: "Routes with failures: 0"
# Warning: "Routes with failures: 15" means incomplete mapping

# Count artificial links created
gunzip -c network-with-pt.xml.gz | grep -c 'pt_.*_UP'

# Check total stops
grep -c '<stopFacility' transitSchedule.xml

# Calculate artificial link percentage
# Acceptable: <10% for real network mapping, 100% for artificial mode

Plausibility check:

bash

java -cp pt2matsim/work/pt2matsim-25.8-shaded.jar \
  org.matsim.pt2matsim.run.CheckMappedSchedulePlausibility \
  network-with-pt.xml.gz transitSchedule-mapped.xml.gz

Expected output:

code

Checking plausibility of mapped transit schedule...
✓ All routes are plausible
✓ No unrealistic travel times detected

Step 6: Troubleshoot Issues

Issue 1: Process Stuck (>10 min with no progress)

Symptoms:

•Log shows "Network is not connected" warnings repeatedly
•CPU usage drops to near zero
•No progress for >10 minutes

Immediate fix:

•Kill the process (Ctrl+C)
•Switch to artificial link mode (maxLinkCandidateDistance=0.0)
•Re-run mapping

Long-term fix:

•Expand OSM extract to cover all PT stops
•Ensure network is connected via PrepareNetworkForPTMapping
•Use robust router: networkRouter=AStarLandmarks

Issue 2: Too Many Artificial Links (>30%)

Symptom:

bash

# Artificial link percentage high
gunzip -c network-with-pt.xml.gz | grep -c 'pt_.*_UP'  # e.g., 450
grep -c '<stopFacility' transitSchedule.xml  # e.g., 500
# 450/500 = 90% artificial (too high for real mapping)

Fixes:

•Increase maxLinkCandidateDistance to 500m or 1000m
•Increase maxTravelCostFactor to 20.0 or 30.0
•Increase candidateDistanceMultiplier to 3.0
•Switch to AStarLandmarks router

Issue 3: Routes With Failures

Symptom:

code

Routes with failures: 15

Diagnosis:

bash

# Check log for specific route failures
grep -i "failure\|error\|could not map" pt2matsim/work/ptmapper.log

Common causes:

•Stop coordinates outside network bounds
•Network not connected between stops
•maxTravelCostFactor too low

Fixes:

•Increase maxTravelCostFactor
•Expand network coverage
•Use artificial mode for failed routes

Step 7: Integrate Mapped Network

After successful mapping:

bash

# Copy mapped files to scenario directory
cp network-with-pt.xml.gz scenarios/equil/network-with-pt.xml.gz
cp transitSchedule-mapped.xml.gz scenarios/equil/transitSchedule.xml.gz

# Update config.xml to use mapped schedule
# <param name="transitScheduleFile" value="transitSchedule.xml.gz"/>
# <param name="networkFile" value="network-with-pt.xml.gz"/>

Parameter Tuning Guide

maxLinkCandidateDistance

Purpose: Maximum distance (meters) from stop to candidate network link

Values:

•0.0: Artificial mode (no real network mapping)
•50-100m: Dense urban bus networks
•100-200m: Light rail, tram
•300-500m: Metro, subway
•1000m+: Rural bus, desperate measures

When to increase: Too many artificial links created

nLinkThreshold

Purpose: Number of link candidates to consider per stop

Values:

•6-8: Bus (default)
•10-15: Metro
•20+: Sparse networks with long distances

When to increase: Mapping fails for sparse networks

maxTravelCostFactor

Purpose: Multiplier for travel cost before creating artificial link

Values:

•5.0: Default (strict)
•10.0: Relaxed
•15.0-20.0: Metro with challenging topology
•30.0+: Desperate measures to avoid artificial links

When to increase: Too many artificial links, or process stuck

networkRouter

Purpose: Routing algorithm for mapping

Options:

•SpeedyALT: Fast, works for well-connected networks
•AStarLandmarks: Robust, handles disconnected components better

When to use AStarLandmarks:

•Process gets stuck
•"Network is not connected" warnings
•Metro networks with complex topology

numOfThreads

Purpose: Parallel processing

Values: 1, 2, 4, 8

Trade-off: More threads = faster, but uses more memory

Decision Matrix

Network Type	Coverage	Recommended Config
Metro, good network	Stops within bounds	maxLinkCandidateDistance=500, maxTravelCostFactor=20, AStarLandmarks
Metro, sparse network	Some stops outside	maxLinkCandidateDistance=1000, maxTravelCostFactor=30, AStarLandmarks
Bus, urban	Full coverage	maxLinkCandidateDistance=100, maxTravelCostFactor=10, SpeedyALT
Any, disconnected	Any	maxLinkCandidateDistance=0 (artificial mode)
Testing	Any	maxLinkCandidateDistance=0 (fastest)

File References

•Tool: pt2matsim/work/pt2matsim-25.8-shaded.jar
•Working journal: working_journal/2025-11-06-PT-Mapper-Fix.md
•Preparation tool: src/main/java/org/matsim/project/tools/PrepareNetworkForPTMapping.java
•CLAUDE.md: Lines 163-212
•Example configs: pt2matsim/work/ptmapper-config-*.xml

Success Criteria

After successful mapping:

• "Routes with failures: 0" in log
• network-with-pt.xml.gz created
• transitSchedule-mapped.xml.gz created
• Artificial link percentage is acceptable (<10% for real mapping, 100% for artificial)
• Plausibility check passes
• Mapping completed in reasonable time (<10 min for artificial, <30 min for real)