The accessibility of urban rail stations based on the catchment area

Abstract

Accessibility is an important index to evaluate the efficiency of transportation infrastructure. Accurately measuring the accessibility of rail stations can help to further optimize the station service facilities and connection environment. Based on the definition of urban rail station accessibility, we establish a multinomial logit model for the selection of rail station connection methods and determine the radiation range of various types of stations to different connection modes. And then we establish a track site accessibility model based on the catchment area by considering the built environment and travel cost around the rail station. Taking the city of Xi’an as an example, we calculate the stations' accessibilities via walking, bicycle and bus, and the total accessibility. Results show that railway stations' accessibilities decrease from city center to the periphery in space. The accessibilities of transfer stations are usually at a high level, while the accessibilities of the starting and terminal stations are at a lower level. Also, the accessibilities of intermediate stations vary a lot according to the locations. The closer the intermediate stations to the terminal stations, the lower the accessibility, and the closer to the transfer stations and downtown, the higher the accessibility.