Comparing accessibility to high-speed rail stations by public transit and cars: A national-scale analysis

High-speed rail (HSR) stations, as a crucial connectivity node within a city, can effectively serve the population in the city and stimulate economic growth. Therefore, there is an urgent need to enhance the accessibility of HSR stations to various areas within the city. Despite this, most research tends to focus on local and regional transportation stations, with a lack of research on the accessibility of HSR stations on a national scale. Additionally, most research tends to focus exclusively on the accessibility of these stations via either public transit or cars, often overlooking a holistic comparison of both transportation modes. This study aims to bridge this gap by assessing the accessibility of high-speed rail stations across 31 provincial capitals in mainland China, utilizing travel time estimation data sourced from online mapping. We measured the number of grid cells accessible to passengers by car and public transit within a given time threshold. To identify the influencing factors, we conducted a two-sample t-test. Our analysis reveals that cars typically provide superior accessibility compared to public transit. Moreover, we find significant variability in public transit accessibility among these cities. Medium and smaller cities exhibit notably lower levels of public transit accessibility than large cities, and mountainous cities face further reductions due to challenging terrain. Key factors contributing to these accessibility disparities are identified, leading to several policy recommendations aimed at enhancing public transit systems. These include expanding bus service coverage, improving transport infrastructure, introducing microcirculation bus routes, and further developing rail transit networks to better serve urban populations and integrate them more effectively with high-speed rail services.