NimBus: String Diagram

Hi Nimbus Team,

Please add 'String Diagram'.

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Explanation
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When a vehicle finishes its trip at a terminal, it will often be turned around to continue onto the next trip in the opposite direction on the route. In this case, there is a need for sufficient layover time at the terminal. If the vehicle finishes a trip at time t, then completes the layover after an additional time tL, then the vehicle may start its return trip after t + tL. Choosing the dispatch time to occur at or slightly after t + tL allows for higher vehicle utilization.

One way of visualizing such a system uses a so-called “string diagram,” shown in the attached figure. The blue lines indicate the trajectory of a vehicle from the terminal at stop 1 to the terminal at stop n, with short dwell times at each stop. Vehicles arriving at stop n then can return along the route in the opposite direction (the red lines), after a layover (indicated by the black arrows). These diagrams can be useful in visualizing vehicle movements and crosses along the route.