Accessibility of high-speed rail (HSR) stations and HSR–air competition: Evidence from China

Most high-speed rail (HSR) stations in China were built in the urban periphery. This study investigates whether peripheral HSR stations increase the demand for air transportation, a mode of transportation that competes with HSR. We establish a series of novel city-pair level indicators of accessibility of HSR stations using geographical information system (GIS) technology, and adopt an extended difference-in-differences analysis to comprehensively elucidate the effect of HSR station accessibility on parallel air transportation. Based on the data of 581 Chinese air routes from 2003 to 2019, we find that less accessible HSR stations increase passenger traffic and flights on parallel air routes, but do not affect cargo traffic on parallel air routes. Specifically, travel time to/from HSR stations, rather than the physical location of HSR stations, affects the intermodal substitution between HSR and air. Our study indicates that for 1 % decline in the public transport travel time-based station accessibility for a given HSR route, the annual number of passengers on the parallel air route will increase by 809. This effect, which would increase the demand for airline services in the long run, is larger for routes shorter than 1,500 km, routes with airports that serve as bases for low-cost air carriers, and routes connecting hub cities, tourism cities, or cities with advanced economic conditions. Our findings offer new insights into HSR station accessibility and provide policy implications regarding the integration of intra-city public transportation systems with HSR stations.