Efficiency of star-like graphs and the Atlanta subway network

The distance d(i,j)$d(i,j)$ between any two vertices i$i$ and j$j$ in a graph is the number of edges in a shortest path between i$i$ and j$j$. If there is no path connecting i$i$ and j$j$, then d(i,j)=∞$d(i,j)=\infty$. In 2001, Latora and Marchiori introduced the measure of efficiency between vertices in a graph (Latora and Marchiori, 2001) 1]. The efficiency between two vertices i$i$ and j$j$ is defined to be _∈i,j=j${\in }_{i,j}=j$. In this paper, we investigate the efficiency of star-like networks, and show that networks of this type have a high level of efficiency. We apply these ideas to an analysis of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Subway system, and show this network is 82% as efficient as a network where there is a direct line between every pair of stations.