This paper proposes a novel method to address the ferry network design problem (FNDP). Ferry transport is an increasingly important component of public transport, providing mobility for people in large cities with harbours or rivers. It is therefore important that ferry networks are well designed. The connections between ferry stations and the locations of hubs that are optimal for passengers are revealed by the maximum passenger utility spanning tree connecting all ferry stations. This paper harnesses the equivalence between entropy maximisation and utility maximisation to find the maximum passenger utility spanning tree which connects all ferry stations. A small example with five ferry stations illustrates how the spanning tree topology responds to the pattern of passenger demand. Two heuristics for solving the problem are compared for the Sydney Harbour ferry network with 36 ferry stations. One heuristic reveals the most important connections between ferry stations from a passenger perspective. The use of maximum passenger utility spanning trees for ferry network design is discussed.

本文提出了一种解决渡轮网络设计问题的新方法。轮渡运输已成为公共交通中越来越重要的组成部分，为有港口或河流的大城市中的人们提供了出行便利。因此，精心设计渡轮网络非常重要。连接所有轮渡站的最大乘客效用生成树揭示了轮渡站与最适合乘客的枢纽位置之间的连接。本文利用熵最大化和效用最大化之间的等价关系来找到连接所有渡轮站的最大乘客效用生成树。一个带有五个渡轮站的小例子说明了生成树拓扑如何响应乘客需求的模式。比较了具有36个轮渡站点的悉尼港轮渡网络解决问题的两种启发式方法。一种启发式方法从乘客的角度揭示了轮渡站之间最重要的联系。讨论了将最大客体生成树用于渡轮网络设计的问题。