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Importantly, many of our commissions make use of our integrated
transport modelling software, ZENITH.
This comprehensive modelling software allows detailed time-period
modelling of both private and public transport. Integrated models can
be used to estimate car and truck flows as well as a wide range of
public transport data including trip patterns, boardings and
alightings and load profiles. Transit modes that have been modelled
include heavy rail, light rail, trams, suburban and regional buses and
ferries. Of course simple road-based models can also be readily
developed.
The ZENITH model starts from a detailed description of the land uses
within the modelled area to develop transit and vehicle trip patterns
from ‘first principles’. The assignment of these trip tables to the
modelled infrastructure network is also state-of-the-art. Presentation
of results is first class through integration with a graphical
information system (GIS).
ZENITH was originally developed by Mike Veitch, and is now supported
by a team of experienced programmers at VLC. An important feature of
ZENITH is the flexibility offered by it having been developed here in
Australia by VLC. Unlike other packages, this means that the software
can be modified to fit the task, rather than changing the task to fit
the software. The power of ZENITH has been one of the factors which
has led VLC’s models to be the most robust and accurate in Australia.
The ZENITH software has now been used to analyse many of the largest
transport projects in Australia. These have included the Melbourne
City Link project (about $AU 1.8 billion), the South Coast
Motorway/Pacific Highway (Queensland) upgrading ($AU 500 million), the
Melbourne Ring Road ($AU 800 million), the Mitcham-Frankston Project
(about $AU 2.7 billion) and several transit privatisation projects.
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