Structural Components of Transport Networks

The main structural components of transport networks are:

• Node. Any location that has access to a transportation network.
• Link. Physical transport infrastructures that enable to connect two nodes.
• Flow. The amount of traffic that circulates on a link between two nodes and the amount of traffic going through a node.
• Gateway. A node that is connecting two different systems of circulation that are usually separate networks and which acts as compulsory passage for various flows. An intermodal function is performed so that passengers or freight are transferred from one network to the other.
• Hub. A node that is handling a substantial amount of traffic and connects elements of the same transport network, or different scales of the network (e.g. regional and international).
• Feeder. A node that is linked to a hub. It organizes the direction of flows along a corridor and can be considered as a consolidation and distribution point.
• Corridor. A sequence of nodes and links supporting modal flows of passengers or freight. They are generally concentrated along a communication axis, have a linear orientation and usually serve a gateway.