Market effects of regional high-speed trains on the Svealand line

When the Svealand line in Sweden opened in 1997, it replaced an older railway line between Eskilstuna and Stockholm (a distance of 115 km). Service on the Svealand line is operated with regional high-speed trains. In a case study of the effects of regional high-speed train services, changes in knowledge, valuations and travel behaviour have been analysed. The Svealand line has sparked an increase in regional rail travel of up to seven times compared to the old railway between Eskilstuna and Stockholm. Additionally, the market share has risen from 6% to 30%. Travelling times are valued highly and motorists, particularly, place great value on the high-speed train mode of transport.A general conclusion is that regional high-speed train services have had a major impact on the travel market and on travel behaviour. The improved accessibility to Stockholm, in particular, is especially noticeable among residents living close to the railway stations.     

Spatial analysis of access to and accessibility surrounding train stations: a case study of accessibility for the elderly in Perth,Western Australia

Approximately one-fifth of Perth’s population is aged 60 or older. Projections suggest that this proportion will continue to increase as a result of the large number of children born after the World War II (1946–1964). Access to and accessibility around train stations for the aging population is and will become a more important issue as the elderly population continues to grow. The aim of the paper is to develop and apply a new measure of accessibility to train stations at a fine spatial scale, justified by the special circumstance of the elderly using a case study in Perth, Western Australia. Intercept surveys are used to collect data on factors affecting train station accessibility for patrons aged 60 years or older, at seven highly dispersed train stations. Overall accessibility is measured separately using a composite index based on three travel modes (walk-and-ride, park-and-ride and bus-and-ride). The results illustrate that key variables, such as distance from an origin to a station, walking or driving route directness, land-use diversity, service and facility quality, bus connection to train stations, all affect the accessibility to train stations for the elderly. This implies that improvements to these factors will improve accessibility for this population group.     

Location, economic potential and daily accessibility: an analysis of the accessibility impact of the high-speed line Madrid–Barcelona–French border

This paper evaluates the accessibility impact of the future Madrid–Barcelona–French border high-speed line. Accessibility impact of the new infrastructure is measured by means of three indicators: weighted average travel times, economic potential and daily accessibility. These indicators respond to different conceptualizations and offer complementary information about the issue accessibility. The results are quite different: very concentrated effects in the daily accessibility indicator, less concentrated in the economic potential one and more dispersal in the location indicator. The sign (polarizing/balancing) of these effects depend on the geographic scale: polarizing effects at the national level and balancing effects at both corridor and European levels are identified. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to carry out this study.     

High-speed rail and office location choices. A stated choice experiment for the Netherlands

High-speed rail is seen as a factor contributing to the attractiveness of a location for economic activities. This paper focuses on how the level-of-service characteristics of railway stations, and in particular the presence of high-speed train services, influence the attractiveness of locations for specific types of offices. The results are presented for a stated choice experiment for location choices of offices in the Netherlands. It is concluded that the availability of high-speed train services contributes to the attractiveness of a location for offices. For internationally-oriented offices the areas around stations with international high-speed train services are attractive because of their good international accessibility. We also found an indication that high-speed train services can raise the status of an office site. In the Netherlands, the domestic high-speed train services are less relevant for location choices, because of the small domestic distances. Besides high-speed train services, other location characteristics that determine how well a site is connected to the railway network are also found to be important for location choices. Thereby differences between offices occur, which can partly be explained by the number of trips to/from an office.     

Comparing distance,time, and metabolic energy cost functions for walking accessibility in infrastructure-poor regions

Accessibility is a widely used concept in transportation planning and research. However a majority of the literature is concerned with accessibility in infrastructure-rich regions where it is used to assess the output of infrastructure. Relatively scant attention in contrast has been paid to the topic of accessibility in infrastructure-poor regions. These are regions characterized by non-homogeneous landscapes with limited or no transportation infrastructure. Even studies that deal with infrastructure-poor regions tend to transpose the methods used elsewhere. This practice seems inappropriate when mobility happens by active rather than motorized modes since the effort required for movement is likely different. The objective of this paper is to compare distance, time, and metabolic energy cost functions in walking accessibility. To this end, we present a case study of accessibility to water in central Kenya. The results indicate that Euclidean distance, surface distance, and travel time correlate better between them than any of them does with metabolic energy. Furthermore, while shortest paths tend to be symmetric for distance and time criteria, under consideration of metabolic energy expenditure pathways change significantly depending on the direction of movement. This has implications for measuring accessibility and equity. By providing alternate mechanisms for valuing the cost of movement, this research suggests avenues to consider vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women who require greater nutritional intake and expend more energy per unit activity. Directions for further research include certain trade-offs between route choice variables across various applications, for example, walking and cycling route choice algorithms.     

Accessibility impact of the present and future high-speed rail network: A case study of Jiangsu Province,China

The large-scale implementation of a high-speed rail (HSR) network is often considered to have a significant effect on the spatial distribution of accessibility. In China, the development of HSR network has progressed rapidly since the first line commenced operation in 2008. As an important component of this network, Jiangsu province proposed an ambitious HSR construction program which planned to cover over 95% of its counties by 2030. Reduced travel time for passengers is one of the most important effects of HSR, and therefore this study aims to analyze the accessibility impact of the evolving HSR network in Jiangsu province from 2010–2030. A layered cost distance method, based on a door-to-door approach, is proposed to evaluate the present and future accessibility at a more detailed geographical level. The results demonstrate that, with the gradual development of the HSR network, accessibility levels across the province will be improved by about 9.6%, and the distribution of the gains will be uneven since the most significant improvements will occur in the more peripheral areas. The inequality in regional accessibility will decrease by an average of 25.7%, which will produce a more homogeneous accessibility landscape. In addition, several policy measures are suggested in order to further enhance the competitiveness of the HSR network in the transport market at a regional level. This extended period of exploratory and detailed analysis is expected to facilitate proactive public policy decisions related to improving the transport network.     

Location quotient-based travel costs for determining accessibility changes

Accessibility is not a static feature because it is affected by a large number of factors, such as changes in transport infrastructure, the spatial distribution of human activities, and their interdependence. In this study, we examine the role of location quotient-based travel costs as the travel impedance function in accessibility measurement to better capture accessibility changes over time. The travel impedance function is one of the most widely studied aspects of accessibility. In most studies, travel impedance is determined by a negative exponential function in the travel cost assessment of the accessibility measure as a means to incorporate the distance decay effect. Here, we apply an accessibility index that uses location quotient-based travel costs and an accessibility measure with simple travel costs in order to test the proposed theory. The results of the two methods vary considerably. The location quotient method is discussed in detail, including its potential advantages for measuring accessibility changes. We argue that the location quotient-based travel cost is an appropriate method for determining the travel impedance function in accessibility measurements, especially for analyzing accessibility changes.     

Catchment if you can: The effect of station entrance and exit locations on accessibility

The success of passenger railway systems depends on their ridership and thus the population they serve. A mechanism to increase ridership is to expose the existing system to more people by reconfiguring the station itself, for instance by adding extra entrance and exit gates to shorten the walking distance from a trip's origin or its final destination. Gates are key nodes giving pedestrians access from street network to boarding/alighting facilities and vice versa. Stations and platforms are places not points, passengers may spend up to 6 min a trip walking between platforms and the end of the station nearest their origin or destination. This study systematically evaluates the accessibility of train stations and the effect of constructing an additional ‘far-side’ gate at stations with a single ‘near-side’ entrance. A three-step approach is defined to generate an isochrone as the catchment area for any transport node. Results indicate that stations with a single gate along their platforms (usually on one end of them) have the potential to increase the accessibility to jobs and population by around 10% on average. Due to the walking network and land use characteristics, some stations will benefit more significantly by retrofitting a new gate. Also, four linear regression models are developed to illustrate the effect of expanded accessibility on the number of entries and exits at each station for two peak periods. Then, stations are ranked based on their added ridership, which can help authorities to prioritize the development and allocating resources.     

The impact of orbital motorways on intra-metropolitan accessibility: the case of Madrid's M-40

In this paper, we analyze the impact of orbital motorways on intra-metropolitan accessibility, using as an example the Madrid M-40 orbital motorway. The maps of changes in accessibility show that, as one might expect, the nodes situated near the M-40 are those that most benefit from the new infrastructure and that the further their distance from the M-40, the weaker the changes, although the gradient is much steeper towards the city centre than towards the exterior. All the indicators used point to the fact that the new orbital motorway has brought about relevant changes, but the intensity with which such changes are registered depends on the variable used as a mass (changes are higher in accessibility to population indicators than in accessibility to employment indicators), and on the type of operationalization adopted (the most complex ones are those which least noticeably reflect the effect of the new orbital motorway). It has been verified, in the case of the Madrid M-40, that orbital motorways do not necessarily lead to an increase in the equality of intra-metropolitan accessibility, for this will depend on their location within the metropolitan area: the further out they are, the greater equality they bring, even though they attract less traffic.     

Impacts on accessibility of China’s present and future HSR network

Although the construction of China’s high-speed rail (HSR) network only started in 2003, the network is already the largest in the world. This paper analyses the impact of the evolving HSR network on the accessibility by HSR and conventional ground transport of 333 prefecture-level cities and 4 municipalities. This paper employs three indicators of accessibility, and analyses three Scenarios. It shows that the HSR network will bring about substantial improvement in accessibility, and lead to national time–space convergence, but will also increase the inequality of nodal accessibility between eastern, central, and western regions, between cities with different sizes of population (excluding the case of the daily accessibility indicator) and between cities that differ in the shortest distance to HSR stations. The HSR network enlarges internal disparities in each of the regions and the five types of cities. The internal inequality of nodal accessibility in all three Scenarios generally increases from the eastern region via the central region to the western region, as well as from very large cities to small cities, varying inversely with the level of economic development and population size. Spatially, accessibility increases generally conform to the distance decay rule but with minor fluctuations. The 50 cities with the largest increases in accessibility are mostly located 50 km or less away from HSR stations and have populations of over 3 million, with the smaller ones located along HSR lines or around large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. As time progresses, the planned HSR network will result in more balanced development, but regional disparities in accessibility will still be greater than before the construction of the HSR.     

甘肃省高速铁路对城市可达性及经济联系格局影响研究

高速铁路的开通会产生时空压缩效应,使城市之间的平均旅行时间减少,提升城市间经济联系度。借助可达性系数和引力模型,探讨高速铁路开通前后甘肃段城市可达性和经济联系的演变。高速铁路开通后,加权平均旅行时间缩短,甘肃省城市可达性得到提升,形成以兰州-天水-定西为交通中心,沿高速铁路为轴线对外辐射的空间格局趋势;城市之间的经济联系强度大幅度增强,城市间经济联系差异扩大;内部经济联系极化效应加剧,非高速铁路区存在形成交通和经济双重洼地的风险,可达性和经济联系度呈现部分空间耦合。     

Impact of new motorway on housing prices in rural North-East Slovenia

The literature generally agrees that improved accessibility has a positive effect on housing values. The motorway constructions in north-eastern Slovenia, completed between 2002 and 2018, significantly improved the accessibility of less developed areas. In this article, we examine how the new motorway has affected the housing values in the mostly rural north-eastern part of Slovenia. We analysed the distance decay effect of amenities and disamenities of motorway links and ramps as well as bus stops, train stations, and railway links on housing prices. In addition to the transport infrastructure variables, we analysed numerous other structural and environmental variables. We estimated three different spatial hedonic regression models: the spatial autoregression model, the spatial error model, and the spatial autocorrelation model.The results indicate that none of proximities to the bus stop, train station, or motorway link have had a significant effect on housing value. However, the rail track proximity exhibited a significant negative association with price. Furthermore, the effect of distance to the nearest motorway ramp on housing value is significant: it is stronger for closer distances (i.e. starting from 500 m) and decreases up to 6 km, while the effect of distances below 500 m is insignificant. Our results also show that bigger dwellings, more rooms, and the presence of a balcony, elevator, central auto heating system, new installation, and air conditioning as well as an apartment in a single house, are associated with a higher housing price. On the contrary, selling the dwellings together with a parking place and basement reduced the average price of the housing property. Comparing our results to the literature, we proved our hypothesis that the negative effect of a motorway is less pronounced in rural areas compared to urban areas and that the positive effect of accessibility is stronger in rural areas and extends over a wider geographical area.     

An assessment of railway capacity

In this paper, we review the main concepts and methods to perform capacity analyses, and we present an automated tool that is able to perform several capacity analyses. Capacity is extremely dependent on infrastructure, traffic, and operating parameters. Therefore, an in-depth study of the main factors that influence railway capacity is performed on several Spanish railway infrastructures. The results show how the capacity varies according to factors such as train speed, commercial stops, train heterogeneity, distance between railway signals, and timetable robustness.     

Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the impact of high-speed railway on urban economy: Empirical study of Chinese cities

The relationship between high-speed railway (HSR) construction and economic development has become a significant concern in recent decades. This study uses the spatiotemporal panel data of China's HSR construction and economic development from 2008 to 2018 as bases to discuss the spatial–temporal heterogeneity of the relationship between HSR and the urban economy. Firstly, this research measures the accessibility of different dimensions (i.e. location accessibility, potential accessibility and daily accessibility), and assesses the regional disparity of HSR accessibility and urban GDP using the Gini index. Secondly, the direct and indirect effects of HSR on economic development are analyzed from the global perspective by using the spatial Durbin model. Lastly, the geographically and temporally weighted regression model is applied to assess the spatial–temporal heterogeneity of the correlation between HSR and economic development from a local perspective. The conclusions are as follows. (1) The construction of HSR might reduce the regional disparity of daily accessibility, but expand the disparity of potential accessibility and location accessibility. (2) From a global perspective, HSR has a significant positive impact on urban economic development, but this impact was mainly produced by the spillover effect and not the direct effect. Specifically, the smaller the spatial–temporal distance between cities, the higher the level of regional integration and the better the economic development of cities. (3) The HSR impact on urban economic growth has a periodic feature. The stimulation of large-scale railway construction will expand the economic effect of HSR, although network improvement will gradually converge the corresponding impact. (4) From a local perspective, the HSR impact on economic development has significant spatial heterogeneity. Although HSR has a certain inhibitory effect on the economic development of Eastern China, it has a positive impact on the economic growth of the western region.     

基于可达性的高速铁路列车停站方案优化研究

针对有关列车停站方案与换乘接续研究中的不足,结合高速铁路旅客换乘需求数据,引入可达性定义,首先建立以运行图可达性最大为目标的优化模型,其次提出单亲遗传求解算法,并开发列车运行图自动铺画软件,通过对某高速铁路2011年春运期间运行图的下行列车进行优化,在不改变原运行图骨架、满足运行图标尺的基础上,提高了运行图的可达性和列车平均旅行速度。     

Evaluating the European added value of TEN-T projects: a methodological proposal based on spatial spillovers, accessibility and GIS

This paper develops a methodology for calculating the European value added value (EVA) generated by transport infrastructure projects. This approach is particularly useful for evaluating projects in the framework of Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T), although it may also be used in trans-national projects in other geographical areas. The methodology is based on the appraisal of spatial spillovers generated by trans-national projects by using accessibility indicators (access to markets) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Projects are split into sections and spillover effects of each section are then computed. The sections that produce a high proportion of spillovers in relation to internal benefits generate a high EVA. Additionally, indicators are obtained of the effects of each section in terms of spatial concentration on the different countries affected, efficiency (general improvement in accessibility) and territorial cohesion (reduction in accessibility disparities between regions). The validity of this approach is verified by applying it to TEN-T priority project 25. This methodology does not seek to replace existing project appraisal methodologies (particularly the cost-benefit analysis); rather it provides complementary data for decision-making. Sections which are scarcely profitable from the cost-benefit analysis perspective but which have high European value added should receive more European funding than more profitable sections of markedly national interest.     

Measuring the effect of transportation infrastructure on retail firm co-location patterns

This paper studies the effects of transportation infrastructure on the location behavior of competing retail firms. First, in a game theoretic framework that describes the location choices made by retailers with respect to each other, the connection between relative firm location and transportation demand is outlined. Second, a multivariate point pattern statistic based on this theoretical framework is applied to location patterns of fast food outlets to measure the effects that major road infrastructure has on firm location behavior in this sector.The results suggest that transportation infrastructure affects the location behavior of firms with respect to their location in relation to their competitors. Access to important transportation infrastructure induces competing outlets to locate next to each other—a tendency not necessarily observed among outlets without such access. Theoretically, this does not only affect economic outcomes, but also travel demand and consumer accessibility. The findings from this study stress the importance of accounting for how transportation infrastructure changes the location behavior of firms in travel demand frameworks.     

Measuring railway network performance considering accessibility levels in cities worldwide

There is a growing acceptance of and interest in transit accessibility-based developments as a means to address urban challenges, such as automobile dependency, air pollution, urban sprawl, and congestion. Additionally, prompting car drivers to switch to public transit requires the construction of attractive and accessible public transit systems. Accordingly, it is necessary to measure railway network performance while considering accessibility, which indicates the potential opportunity of interaction. Thus, this study aims to develop a railway network performance index (RPI) to evaluate transit accessibility, with regard to differences in travel speed, and conduct a comparative analysis of 40 cities worldwide. The major findings are as follows. European cities have a high RPI, but cities in developing countries have relatively low RPI values, due to railway infrastructure shortages. Railway and station density have a positive relationship with RPI, but differences in RPI emerge between cities with the same infrastructure levels. This difference indicates the importance of efficient railway system connections between the distributions of populations and facilities. Overall, this study enhances understandings of transit accessibility and provides benchmark points that may be useful for decision-making processes, transportation investments, and land use policies.     

Identification of critical sections of the Spanish transport system due to climate scenarios

In recent years climate change has become a multidisciplinary research topic that addresses the challenges facing transport infrastructure planning, construction and operation. The study of the adaptation of transport systems to new environmental conditions is often based on the interrelated concepts of resilience, vulnerability and criticality. In this paper we assess the criticality of sections of Spain's inland transport network under the effects of changing climate scenarios obtained from a specific climate projection (using the time periods 2010–2020 and 2045–2055). The functionality of the transport system is characterised here in terms of territorial accessibility. The results identify and locate the most critical stretches of the Spanish transport network. In general terms, the most relevant sections in regard to accessibility will not be exposed to the greatest changes in climate variables. Up to 2.8% of the roads and 5.9% of the railways that contribute most significantly to the territorial accessibility of the transport system will undergo the greatest variations between climate scenarios. This paper contributes to this field of research by developing a screening tool that represents a valuable instrument for the infrastructure decision-making process at the strategic level. Action areas for proactive adaptation measures can be identified in order to reduce impacts and costs, while prioritising the maintenance or reconstruction of the most critical stretches in the case of a future climate event.     

基于时段偏好的高速铁路列车停站方案双层规划方法

旅客出行需求不断提高,需要同时考虑旅客出行时段选择与运输企业效益,来优化调整高速铁路列车停站方案。针对一条拥挤的高速铁路客运走廊,分时段确定列车停站计划和开行频率,阐述影响旅客出行时段偏好的2个重要因素——吸引度与可达度,据此构建旅客出行阻抗函数,构建双层规划模型,上层规划是以运营成本最小为目标的整数规划模型,用于确定列车停站方案;下层规划是一个用户平衡模型,用于计算客流在停站方案上的分配结果。根据模型特点设计启发式算法,并通过算例对模型和算法进行验证和分析。研究表明,考虑旅客出行时段偏好优化高速铁路列车停站方案的方法,能更好地匹配旅客需求分布,为旅客提供优质服务。