High-speed rail modal split on routes with high air traffic density

摘要

The impact of high-speed railways on routes with high air traffic density was investigated and analysed. The case considered was the Madrid-Barcelona route, which had the highest volume of air traffic in Europe, nearly 5 million passengers per year, prior to the opening of the high-speed railway line in February 2008. Demand and market share evolution is evaluated and a comparison is made with other cases and with the forecasts presented in a previous paper. The results show that, as forecast, with maximum speeds of 300 km/h, the high-speed market share in routes where air competition is very strong does not reach the levels usually obtained in previous European high-speed links where competition from air transport was less important.