3. Essentials of Transportation systems
A system is “a group of interdependent and interrelated component that form a complex and unified whole intended to serve some purpose through the performance of its interacting parts” (Meyer and Miller, 2001). In the case of transportation systems, the complexity that rises due to the interdependencies between the group components may be very significant depending on the size of the infrastructure and the degree of multi-modality in passengers and freights transportation. These interdependencies are identifiable and optimally manageable by interdisciplinary terms that have an in depth understanding of the transportation system’s structure and operations (Manheim, 1796).