Transportation habits and opinions of railway users in Athens, Greece

Abstract

The Greek economic crisis of 2009 onwards has affected all aspects of social and economic life of the country, including transportation. Taking into account the link between the economic crisis and transportation, the present study aims to investigate the way that the economic crisis has affected the interurban travel rail habits of the citizens of Athens, the capital of Greece. We conducted a study, using a questionnaire survey with 400 participants, to investigate the general trends concerning the purpose and the frequency of railway travelling and the restrictions of their travel activities due to the economic recession. The results of this study show that more than half of respondents declared that there is not any great difference in their use of rail as transport during last years, while they express a positive opinion as they attribute it to the higher safety and comfort of railway compared to other transportation modes. However, the cost of the ticket and the provided level of service are two significant factors for the participants for the choice of their transportation mode.