Methodology to assesses the reliability of transport network under disaster conditions

Abstract

Transportation research and development covers a multitude of topics regarding all areas in transportation. Transportation reliability and vulnerability studies are a new area that has started to draw a lot of attention particularly about its possible applications to help disaster management practices. But unfortunately transportation network risk and vulnerability assessment has not received due recognition so far when formulating preparedness policies in disaster management operations. There are various types of studies such as environmental impact assessment, cost benefit studies for transportation infrastructure where a wide variety of features are looked at, but risk and vulnerability analysis of the transportation network has not yet been considered with much importance. One major reason for this can be highlighted as the lack of established terminology and associated means of analysis that can be specifically adopted for the purpose. And further more it is difficult to draw a firm consensus on available methods due to various disparities among the concepts proposed.