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Article

Robustness Evaluation and Optimization of China’s Multilayer Coupled Integrated Transportation System from a Complex Network Perspective

1
Key Laboratory of Hydraulic and Waterway Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing 400074, China
2
Engineering Research Center of Diagnosis Technology and Instruments of Hydro-Construction, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing 400074, China
3
School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2025, 17(16), 7398; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167398
Submission received: 18 June 2025 / Revised: 11 August 2025 / Accepted: 13 August 2025 / Published: 15 August 2025

Abstract

With increasing exposure to natural hazards and anthropogenic risks, the robustness of transportation networks must be enhanced to ensure national security and long-term sustainability. However, robustness-optimization research has mainly focused on single-layer networks, while the systematic exploration of multilayer networks that better reflect real-world transportation system characteristics remains insufficient. This study establishes a multilayer integrated transportation network for China, encompassing road, railway, and waterway systems, based on complex network theory. The robustness of single-layer, integrated networks and the integrated transportation networks of the seven major regions is evaluated under various attack strategies. The results indicate that the integrated network exhibits superior robustness to single-layer networks, with the road sub-network proving pivotal for maintaining structural stability. Under the same edge addition ratio, the robustness improvement achieved by the low-importance node enhancement strategy is, on average, about 80% higher than that of the high-importance node strategy, with the effect becoming more significant as the edge addition ratio increases. These findings provide theoretical support for the vulnerability identification and structural optimization of transportation networks, offering practical guidance for constructing efficient, safe, and sustainable transportation systems.
Keywords: integrated transportation network; complex network; robustness; random attacks; targeted attacks integrated transportation network; complex network; robustness; random attacks; targeted attacks

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Mei, X.; Ye, W.; Li, W.; Chen, C.; Li, A.; Wu, J.; Du, H. Robustness Evaluation and Optimization of China’s Multilayer Coupled Integrated Transportation System from a Complex Network Perspective. Sustainability 2025, 17, 7398. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167398

AMA Style

Mei X, Ye W, Li W, Chen C, Li A, Wu J, Du H. Robustness Evaluation and Optimization of China’s Multilayer Coupled Integrated Transportation System from a Complex Network Perspective. Sustainability. 2025; 17(16):7398. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167398

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mei, Xuanling, Wenjing Ye, Wenjie Li, Cheng Chen, Ang Li, Jianping Wu, and Hongbo Du. 2025. "Robustness Evaluation and Optimization of China’s Multilayer Coupled Integrated Transportation System from a Complex Network Perspective" Sustainability 17, no. 16: 7398. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167398

APA Style

Mei, X., Ye, W., Li, W., Chen, C., Li, A., Wu, J., & Du, H. (2025). Robustness Evaluation and Optimization of China’s Multilayer Coupled Integrated Transportation System from a Complex Network Perspective. Sustainability, 17(16), 7398. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167398

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