Abstract
The high-speed railway (HSR) has affected accessibility at diverse spatial levels. Although previous studies have examined HSR impacts on accessibility and inequality, the price attribute in estimating accessibility is less noted. This study evaluates the effects of HSR on unequal accessibility at the South Korean national level, capital and non-capital regions and according to urban population sizes by comparing ticket prices to time values. There are two major conclusions of this study. First, an increase in time value through national growth or other exogenous conditions maximizes HSR impact and, thus, increases accessibility. For example, when the time value is 9.98 USD/h, the national HSR access inequality is reduced by 0.56%. However, when the time value is 6.02 USD/h, the reduction in the national inequality by the HSR is 0.19%. Second, if considering generalized travel time, HSR impact is maximized in medium cities rather than in large cities. When the time value is 6.02 USD/h (or 9.98 USD/h), the change in inequality between cities is −0.4% (−1.29%) in medium cities, while large cities show a −0.08% (−0.9%) reduction in access inequality.
Highlights
IntroductionHigh-speed railways (HSR) specializes in intercity passenger transport, bringing about various changes in the socioeconomic environment
High-speed railways (HSR) are more time-efficient than conventional railways
This study aims at estimating HSR impact on accessibility across diverse dimensions: at the national level, between cities with and without HSR, between the capital and non-capital regions and urban population scales
Summary
HSR specializes in intercity passenger transport, bringing about various changes in the socioeconomic environment. One of the significant contributions of HSR is enhanced accessibility by reducing travel time and cost [1] for intercity travel. Accessibility related to the socioeconomic environment can be discussed as a national inequality issue. If HSR aggravates national accessibility, it results in unbalanced spatial development. Each region can be uniformly accessible to other regions if the HSR can address the inequality problem. In this discussion, first, the notions of accessibility and spatial equity are defined
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