A Study on the Travel Characteristics of Rail Transit Passengers in Township Areas of Wuxi City

Abstract

With China’s new urbanization driving integrated urban-rural transport, this study examines the Wuxi–Jiangyin S1 township rail line serving over 30,000 daily riders. Using high-precision LBS data from October 2024, we identified township passengers via spatiotemporal filters, inferred trip purposes through a white-box model combining spatial and temporal rules, and classified last-mile modes with fuzzy membership functions. Ridership is dominated by middle-aged, multi-generational households; leisure trips comprise over 50%; medium-distance (8–29 km) travel prevails; and bicycles/motorcycles lead access/egress. More than 60% of travelers make no station-area stops, indicating weak station-city integration. Findings offer guidance for service optimization, TOD planning, and policies to enhance sustainable township rail development.