MATSim — The Complete Guide: Free Agent-Based Transport Simulation at City Scale
MATSim is an open-source framework for simulating an entire transport system, originally developed at ETH Zurich and TU Berlin. Every resident is represented as an agent with a daily plan — work, shopping, home — who chooses a route, a departure time and a travel mode.
MATSim
ETH Zurich / TU Berlin
Agent-based transport simulation at city scale — activities, routes and mode choice.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- Activity plans — a synthetic population with a full daily schedule.
- Route and mode choice — car, public transport, cycling and walking.
- Iterations — the day is run again and again until the system settles.
- Public transport — lines and timetables as part of the model.
- Extensions — modules for road pricing, demand-responsive transport and more.
What to know
MATSim is written in Java and configured mainly through XML files and code; there is no simple graphical interface, and preparing the network and population is real work. It suits strategic planning — how a new metro line or a congestion charge changes the behaviour of the whole population — not timing the signals at a single junction.
Related tools
For microscopic traffic simulation of junctions and streets — SUMO. For public transport trip planning — OpenTripPlanner. For preparing spatial data and presenting results — QGIS.
SUMO
German Aerospace Center (DLR) / Eclipse
Microscopic traffic simulation — every vehicle modelled individually on a real road network.
Get it from the vendorOpenTripPlanner
OpenTripPlanner Project
A multimodal routing engine — journey planning and public transport accessibility analysis.
Get it from the vendorOSRM — Open Source Routing Machine
OSRM Project
A very fast road network routing engine — routes, distance matrices and service areas.
Get it from the vendor
QGIS
QGIS.org
Open-source GIS for spatial analysis, layer work and map production.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
MATSim is a powerful research and planning tool for understanding an entire transport system. Completely free, but it takes an investment in learning.