Shortest-path algorithms for time-dependent networks

Abstract

The authors consider the shortest-path problem in networks in which the length (or weight) of the edges change with time according to arbitrary functions. They present algorithms for finding the shortest-path and minimum-delay under various waiting constraints and investigate the quality of the derived path. They also show that if departure time from the source node is unrestricted and delay functions are continuous then a shortest path can be found that is simple and achieves a delay as short as the most unrestricted strategy. The optimal waiting time for such cases is also computed. In more restricted transit, it is shown that there exist cases where the minimum delay is finite yet the path that achieves it is infinite.<>