Changes in the passenger behaviour and regional transformations in high-speed train corridors. Results of a passenger survey on the Madrid-Barcelona line

Abstract

The High-Speed Train is experiencing a considerable growth in Spain. This implies a territorial transformation, result of a modification of the travelers’ behavior due to an improvement of the interurban railway transportation. In this context, an element that has not received the necessary attention is, namely, the access to the station as a basic part of the door-to-door travel. To face the lack of statistics on railway station access trips, a passenger survey on the high-speed railway line Madrid-Barcelona has been realized in order to respond to the question: How does the passenger get to the station? The knowledge of this aspect is needed to plan and realize improvement on intermodal actions adequately. The results show a dominance of the private car and a need to offer more attractive alternatives to access the stations. Further conclusions drawn, depict that central stations should be preferred, as they generate a more sustainable mobility.