rapid transit
Enable an AI agent to recognise a rapid-transit system, assess its ability to move passengers reliably and safely, and identify feasible interventions within recorded operating constraints.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
5 bundles · 10 layers · 10 findings · 20 questions
System identity and boundary Establishes what the registered rapid-transit thing includes and how it differs from neighbouring transport systems.
Classification evidence
Records the operating characteristics and source definitions behind inclusion as rapid transit.
Rapid-transit inclusion
A supported classification decision with disputed or unresolved criteria retained explicitly.
- Which combination of right-of-way separation, service pattern and urban passenger function supports treating this system as rapid transit? definition
- Which registry or authoritative transport definition establishes whether this entry includes bus rapid transit, light rail or people movers? provenance
Operational extent
Separates the integrated system from its branded services, individual lines and connecting networks.
System membership
The lines, stations and shared facilities included in the system, with interfaces to separately managed systems.
- Which lines, stations, depots and control facilities are constituents, and which are external connections or shared dependencies? boundary
- Where do branding, ownership, fare integration and operational control imply different system boundaries? boundary
Guideway and route configuration Describes where vehicles can move and how passenger routes use the physical network.
Right of way and conflicts
Locates exclusive running sections and interfaces with other movements.
Movement conflict exposure
Segment-level separation and crossing conditions relevant to safe and regular operation.
- Which segments are grade-separated, cross other movements at level or share running space with other traffic? measurement
- What documented priority, protection or operating restrictions apply at each conflict point? provenance
Route topology and turnbacks
Links advertised services to actual paths, junctions, platforms and reversal facilities.
Feasible service paths
The physical paths and reversal options available for normal and altered service.
- Which routes share tracks or lanes, junctions, station berths and terminal reversal facilities? boundary
- Where can services terminate early, reverse, bypass a station or divert, and what restrictions govern each option? action
Service and passenger throughput Connects scheduled and delivered service to passenger-carrying capability and loading.
Service pattern and delivery
Records where and when services run and how observed departures compare with the plan.
Usable service offer
Direction-specific operating windows, stopping patterns and departure intervals with observed delivery.
- What stopping patterns, first and last departures, and planned headways apply by branch, direction and service calendar? measurement
- What observed departure gaps, cancellations and headway variation occurred over the assessment period? measurement
Capacity and loading
Relates vehicle capacity and achievable service frequency to demand at specific locations.
Binding throughput constraint
The evidenced limit on passenger throughput, including its assumptions and current loading.
- What passenger throughput is supported at the critical segment, using which vehicle capacity, loading standard and achievable departure rate? measurement
- Would the proposed service increase be limited by fleet availability, movement separation, junction conflicts, dwell time, platform clearance or terminal reversal? action
Station access and interchange Represents the passenger paths that make the rapid-transit service reachable and usable.
Accessible boarding paths
Connects entrances, circulation facilities, platforms and vehicle boarding interfaces.
Continuous access path
The availability of a complete station and boarding path for a stated passenger access requirement.
- Which entrance-to-vehicle paths meet the specified access requirement, including level changes, platform gaps and any required assistance? boundary
- Which lift failures, entrance closures or boarding restrictions currently break those paths, and when was their state verified? measurement
Transfers and platform circulation
Records transfer paths and station circulation constraints that affect practical connectivity.
Usable interchange
Whether a mapped connection can be completed under current timing, access and crowding conditions.
- What walking time, level changes, fare-boundary crossings and operating-hour restrictions apply to each interchange path? measurement
- Under what recorded crowding or closure conditions must entry, transfer movements or platform access be restricted or redirected? action
Operating readiness and recovery Connects critical dependencies and operating restrictions to permitted service and restoration decisions.
Critical operating dependencies
Identifies the fleet, power, control and infrastructure capabilities required by each service section.
Service readiness
An evidence-backed assessment of whether the required operating capabilities are available.
- Which fleet, power supply, movement-control, communications and station capabilities are required to operate each section? boundary
- Which dependencies are unavailable or restricted, what services are affected, and how current is the supporting status evidence? measurement
Degraded operation and restoration
Records permitted responses to disruption and the conditions for returning to service.
Permitted response and release
Applicable degraded-service options, decision authorities and restoration checks.
- Which documented degraded modes, section closures, short workings or passenger evacuation arrangements apply to the observed failure? action
- Who may authorise the response and subsequent reopening, and what inspections, tests or operating confirmations must precede restoration? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
- Other names and narrower kinds
- medium-capacity rail transport system, semi-metro, premetro, rapid transit in India, Rapid transit in Taiwan, automated rapid transit, Berlin U-Bahn infrastructure, rapid transit in the United States, subway, Fukuoka City Subway, Subway in Japan
What it is Filled
This model owns the identity, physical configuration, passenger-service capability and current operating state of an integrated rapid-transit system, including how its routes, stations, infrastructure and operating rules work together; the unresolved rail-only versus mode-inclusive registry boundary must remain explicit.
In scope
- System boundary, constituent lines and relationship between advertised routes and physical infrastructure
- Right-of-way separation, junction conflicts and station configuration
- Service patterns, operating periods, headways and passenger-carrying capability
- Passenger access, interchange and continuity of accessible journeys
- Infrastructure and fleet availability, degraded operation and recovery constraints
Out of scope
- Detailed engineering and maintenance records for individual vehicles, tracks, signals, lifts and other component assets
- The operator's corporate governance, staffing establishment and financial accounts
- Regional travel demand and the complete multimodal transport network
- Individual passenger journeys, tickets, payments and personal records
- Neighbourhood land use, property development and wider urban economic effects
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise a rapid-transit system, assess its ability to move passengers reliably and safely, and identify feasible interventions within recorded operating constraints.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Test the extent to which passenger movement has an exclusive right of way and whether road crossings or mixed traffic constrain operation; speed or branding alone does not establish the boundary.
- Test whether service supports repeated station-to-station travel across an urban area, rather than primarily long-distance or peak-direction regional journeys.
- Test actual service intervals and operating periods before treating the system as usable without planning around a particular departure; retain the observed values rather than assuming a universal frequency threshold.
- Test whether routes, stations and movement control form an integrated operating system, rather than a single vehicle, an isolated guideway or an advertised service name.
- For light rail, bus rapid transit and automated people movers, record the operating characteristics that support or challenge inclusion instead of deciding from the mode label.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Enter tracks, tunnels or restricted areas, or direct anyone to do so.
- Interfere with signalling, train control or station systems.
- Report false incidents or alarms that cause evacuations.
- Track individual passengers through ticketing or camera data without legal basis.
Only with a human decision
- Suspending service, evacuating trains or stations, or overriding safety systems.
May
- Report service status, routes and accessibility information from the operator's official sources.
- Help passengers plan journeys and find step-free routes.
Moral aspects Filled
- Rapid transit carries millions and is a lifeline for people without cars; failures fall hardest on them.
- Fares, coverage and accessibility decide who can reach jobs and services.
Who is affected
- Passengers
- Transit workers
- People with disabilities
Owners Filled
Steward
The transit operator under the public transport authority that owns or licenses the system.
Master systems
- Rail safety regulator registers and the operator's asset records
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q3491904 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.rapid-transit
- Wikidata: Q5503 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5503)
Direct properties required Filled
- Mode and classification basis: Recorded technology and local classification, with evidence and unresolved boundary flags
- Right-of-way separation: By segment: grade-separated exclusive, exclusive with level crossings, mixed traffic, or unknown
- Route-to-infrastructure mapping: Passenger routes linked to station sequences, physical segments, junctions and turnbacks
- Service headway: Minutes between departures, by direction, segment and time period; distinguish planned and observed
- Operating window: First and last usable departures by station, direction, calendar and time zone
- Passenger-carrying capability: Passengers per hour per direction at a named segment, with vehicle loading and service-frequency assumptions
- Passenger loading: Passengers per vehicle or platform and percentage of a stated capacity, with location and observation time
- Accessible journey continuity: Available, restricted, unavailable or unknown for a specified entrance-to-platform-to-vehicle-to-exit path and access requirement
- Operational availability: Normal, restricted, suspended, under recovery or unknown, by affected service and infrastructure segment
- Service delivery: Delivered versus planned departures and observed headway variation over a specified interval
- Operating authority: Responsible bodies and roles linked to movement control, closures, maintenance access and restoration decisions
Recognition required Filled
- Trains generally operate on dedicated tracks separated from ordinary road traffic.
- Stations have defined platforms and route information for repeated passenger services.
- Electric multiple-unit trains and third-rail or overhead power equipment are common cues, although these also occur on other railways.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Determine whether a proposed passenger movement is supported at a specified time, including transfers and access requirements.
- Locate shared segments, junctions, platforms or turnbacks that constrain a proposed service pattern.
- Compare planned service, delivered service and passenger loading to identify a service shortfall.
- Trace an infrastructure or fleet restriction to affected routes, stations and accessible paths.
- Evaluate candidate frequency changes, short workings, closures or replacement connections against recorded capacity and operating rules.
- Prepare a disruption or restoration recommendation for the responsible authority, stating evidence gaps and required checks.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Contact with live rails or moving trains can kill.
- Fire or smoke in tunnels and crowding on platforms can injure many at once.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- IEC 62290, issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission, addresses urban guided transport management and command or control systems.
- IEC 62267, issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission, specifies safety requirements for automated urban guided transport.
Context of use required Filled
- Rapid transit carries large numbers of passengers along urban and metropolitan corridors with frequent services and closely connected stations.
- It supports commuting and other everyday travel while connecting with walking routes, buses and regional transport.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q5503: rapid transit - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Rapid transit - general description of the item
Open questions
- Does vr.tr.rapid-transit denote a rail metro system specifically, or a functional class that also includes qualifying bus rapid transit, light rail and people movers?
- Does an existing Vercy world model already own this concept or a substantial part of its system-level scope?
- What evidence should resolve system boundaries when branding, fare integration, physical connections and operating control disagree?
- Which capacity, accessibility and service-regularity definitions should be adopted, and which must remain jurisdiction-specific?
- Which authoritative operating sources and live status feeds are available, and how should evidence age limit an agent's recommendations?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q5503/spec.json