Analysis of Light Rail Systems Utilizing in Urban Areas by Using an Integrated Entropy and EATWOS Methodologies

Performance of urban transportation systems is a vitally important matter in aspects of providing effective and productive transportation service to the users who demand transport services. It can be seen that there are too many factors, which affect the performance of a transportation system and the number of these factors and their levels of effect can show the increase as a result of the development of urban areas. Therefore, it may not be possible to take a right and proper decision by public authorities depending on verbal judgments and personal skills of decision-makers in the extremely variable environment. When it is evaluated in this frame, evaluation of the effectivity, productivity and performance of transportation systems, which operating in urban areas is a multi-criteria decision-making problem. Therefore, in order to solve this problem effectively, utilizing the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodologies is necessary. In this study, as well as providing a systematic and structural solution way, it is proposed a hybrid MCDM model, which can be applied by decision-makers easily. This model is an integrated approach, which integrated two MCDM methodologies such as entropy and EATWOS. While weights of factors are determined by the entropy method. Afterward, effectivity, productivity, and performance of decision alternatives, which analyzing are measured and they are ranked according to their productivity scores. In order to examine the hybrid model in the aspect of numerical and quantitative perspective, thirteen light rail systems, which operating in European Countries were selected and effectivity and productivity analysis for these lines by using this selected hybrid model