The impact of high-speed rail and low-cost carriers on European air passenger traffic
The expansion of high-speed passenger rail service is often argued as a potentially effective, lower-carbon substitute for intercity air travel. Previous studies on high-speed rail on air travel in Europe and Asia have primarily examined the impact of travel time and price on market share for a spec...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division
2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102972 |
| _version_ | 1826215238251315200 |
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| author | Clewlow, Regina R. Sussman, Joseph M. Balakrishnan, Hamsa |
| author_facet | Clewlow, Regina R. Sussman, Joseph M. Balakrishnan, Hamsa |
| author_sort | Clewlow, Regina R. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | The expansion of high-speed passenger rail service is often argued as a potentially effective, lower-carbon substitute for intercity air travel. Previous studies on high-speed rail on air travel in Europe and Asia have primarily examined the impact of travel time and price on market share for a specific city pair (or a handful of city pairs). There has been little focus on the extent to which high-speed rail (HSR) has reduced total short-haul air travel demand (versus market share), or on the potential impacts of high-speed rail on system-wide air travel demand. This paper presents an empirical, econometric analysis of air travel demand in Europe, utilizing an expanded data set to explore: 1) the impact of rail travel times, population density, and market characteristics on air tra c; and 2) the impact of high-speed rail and low-cost-carriers on system-wide air traffic. Although improvements in rail travel times have resulted in reductions in short-haul air travel, variations in city and airport characteristics significantly influence the substitution between air and rail. This paper also finds that HSR substitution has resulted in a modest reduction in system-wide air travel demand, whereas the expansion of low-cost carriers has led to a significant increase in total European air traffic. As concerns about the climate impacts of transportation grow, these results have significant implications for future transport and energy policy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:19:46Z |
| format | Working Paper |
| id | mit-1721.1/102972 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:19:46Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1029722019-04-11T08:51:51Z The impact of high-speed rail and low-cost carriers on European air passenger traffic Clewlow, Regina R. Sussman, Joseph M. Balakrishnan, Hamsa The expansion of high-speed passenger rail service is often argued as a potentially effective, lower-carbon substitute for intercity air travel. Previous studies on high-speed rail on air travel in Europe and Asia have primarily examined the impact of travel time and price on market share for a specific city pair (or a handful of city pairs). There has been little focus on the extent to which high-speed rail (HSR) has reduced total short-haul air travel demand (versus market share), or on the potential impacts of high-speed rail on system-wide air travel demand. This paper presents an empirical, econometric analysis of air travel demand in Europe, utilizing an expanded data set to explore: 1) the impact of rail travel times, population density, and market characteristics on air tra c; and 2) the impact of high-speed rail and low-cost-carriers on system-wide air traffic. Although improvements in rail travel times have resulted in reductions in short-haul air travel, variations in city and airport characteristics significantly influence the substitution between air and rail. This paper also finds that HSR substitution has resulted in a modest reduction in system-wide air travel demand, whereas the expansion of low-cost carriers has led to a significant increase in total European air traffic. As concerns about the climate impacts of transportation grow, these results have significant implications for future transport and energy policy. 2016-06-06T14:56:27Z 2016-06-06T14:56:27Z 2013-07 Working Paper http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102972 en_US ESD Working Papers;ESD-WP-2013-13 application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division |
| spellingShingle | Clewlow, Regina R. Sussman, Joseph M. Balakrishnan, Hamsa The impact of high-speed rail and low-cost carriers on European air passenger traffic |
| title | The impact of high-speed rail and low-cost carriers on European air passenger traffic |
| title_full | The impact of high-speed rail and low-cost carriers on European air passenger traffic |
| title_fullStr | The impact of high-speed rail and low-cost carriers on European air passenger traffic |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of high-speed rail and low-cost carriers on European air passenger traffic |
| title_short | The impact of high-speed rail and low-cost carriers on European air passenger traffic |
| title_sort | impact of high speed rail and low cost carriers on european air passenger traffic |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102972 |
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