Longitudinal assessment of high-speed rail service delivery, satisfaction and operations: A study of Taiwan and Korea systems

Abstract

This article compares Taiwan and Korea high speed rail systems to identify service factors that affect their long-term development. Data were collected by questionnaires and interviews administered over several years to study passenger travel behavior and perceptions of service quality. Analysis results indicate that improving operational effectiveness requires enhanced service quality and that Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) passengers are very concerned about facility of infrastructure services. In contrast, the main concern of Korea Train eXpress (KTX) passengers is frontline staff interaction. Notably, the data show that THSR passenger satisfaction increased steadily to levels superior to those expressed by KTX passengers. Another finding is that, in terms of resource allocation, both Taiwan and Korea should improve the handling of passenger complaints, provide improved scheduling information, and strive to improve arrival and departure punctuality. The contribution of this study is the development of a systematic method of assessing the long-term performance of high-speed rail transport services, by which management units can adjust operating strategies to continuously improve services. The analysis results can facilitate the THSR and KTX to formulating planning and operational strategies that can achieve the goal of sustainable operations.