IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v18y2011i6p870-879.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

High-speed rail and air transport competition in Western Europe: A supply-oriented perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Dobruszkes, Frédéric

Abstract

Increasingly air transport growth raises the question of its impact on the environment. Public authorities and researchers are relying more and more on high-speed trains (HSTs), whose efficiency is supposed to lead to a modal shift from airplanes. However, most transport studies focus on the evolution of demand rather than supply, although it is basically the latter that determines environmental damage. In light of this fact, this paper aims to compare the overall dynamics in the supply of air transport in Europe compared to the HST supply and to examine empirically five city-pairs. The development of high-speed rail remains limited compared to the increase of air services. For a given city-pair, the decline in the number of flights depends on various conditions, including length of the HST journey and the strategies adopted by the airlines. Some carriers reduce their supply in terms of the number of seats but increase the number of flights in order to compete more effectively with the HSTs. Moreover, the competition between low-cost airlines and HSTs should be kept in mind and re-examined in a few years.

Suggested Citation

  • Dobruszkes, Frédéric, 2011. "High-speed rail and air transport competition in Western Europe: A supply-oriented perspective," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 870-879, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:18:y:2011:i:6:p:870-879
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X11000837
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Frédéric Dobruszkes, 2006. "An analysis of European low-cost airlines and their networks," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/95835, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    2. Benedikt Mandel & Marc Gaudry & Werner Rothengatter, 1997. "A disaggregate Box-Cox Logit mode choice model of intercity passenger travel in Germany and its implications for high-speed rail demand forecasts," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 31(2), pages 99-120.
    3. Román, Concepción & Espino, Raquel & Martín, Juan Carlos, 2007. "Competition of high-speed train with air transport: The case of Madrid–Barcelona," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 277-284.
    4. Barbot, Cristina, 2006. "Low-cost airlines, secondary airports, and state aid: An economic assessment of the Ryanair–Charleroi Airport agreement," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 197-203.
    5. Friebel Guido & Niffka Marko, 2009. "The Functioning of Inter-modal Competition in the Transportation Market: Evidence from the Entry of Low-cost Airlines in Germany," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 8(2), pages 1-23, June.
    6. Givoni, Moshe & Rietveld, Piet, 2009. "Airline's choice of aircraft size - Explanations and implications," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 43(5), pages 500-510, June.
    7. Roger Vickerman, 1997. "High-speed rail in Europe: experience and issues for future development," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 31(1), pages 21-38.
    8. Chaug-Ing Hsu & Wen-Ming Chung, 1997. "A model for market share distribution between high-speed and conventional rail services in a transportation corridor," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 31(2), pages 121-153.
    9. Frédéric Dobruszkes, 2008. "Libéralisation et desserte des territoires :le cas du transport aérien européen," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/136530, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    10. Mar González-Savignat, 2004. "Competition in Air Transport," Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, University of Bath, vol. 38(1), pages 77-107, January.
    11. Frédéric Dobruszkes, 2001. "Multimodalité TGV – avion: considérations sur le cas de Bruxelles," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/95864, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    12. Dobruszkes, Frédéric, 2009. "New Europe, new low-cost air services," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 423-432.
    13. Campos, Javier & de Rus, Ginés, 2009. "Some stylized facts about high-speed rail: A review of HSR experiences around the world," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 19-28, January.
    14. Adler, Nicole & Pels, Eric & Nash, Chris, 2010. "High-speed rail and air transport competition: Game engineering as tool for cost-benefit analysis," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 44(7), pages 812-833, August.
    15. Sánchez-Borràs, Marta & Nash, Chris & Abrantes, Pedro & López-Pita, Andrés, 2010. "Rail access charges and the competitiveness of high speed trains," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 102-109, March.
    16. Bel, Germà, 1997. "Changes in travel time across modes and its impact on the demand for inter-urban rail travel," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 43-52, March.
    17. Frédéric Dobruszkes, 2009. "New Europe, new low-cost air services," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/95851, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    18. Hunter, Laurie, 2006. "Low Cost Airlines:: Business Model and Employment Relations," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 315-321, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Frédéric Dobruszkes, 2011. "Airline and high-speed rail competition in Europe: towards a comeback of air transport?," ERSA conference papers ersa10p180, European Regional Science Association.
    2. Dobruszkes, Frédéric, 2013. "The geography of European low-cost airline networks: a contemporary analysis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 75-88.
    3. Castillo-Manzano, José I. & López-Valpuesta, Lourdes & Pedregal, Diego J., 2012. "What role will hubs play in the LCC point-to-point connections era? The Spanish experience," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 262-270.
    4. Zhang, Anming & Wan, Yulai & Yang, Hangjun, 2019. "Impacts of high-speed rail on airlines, airports and regional economies: A survey of recent research," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 1-19.
    5. Adler, Nicole & Pels, Eric & Nash, Chris, 2010. "High-speed rail and air transport competition: Game engineering as tool for cost-benefit analysis," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 44(7), pages 812-833, August.
    6. Kuljanin, Jovana & Kalić, Milica, 2015. "Exploring characteristics of passengers using traditional and low-cost airlines: A case study of Belgrade Airport," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 12-18.
    7. Nicole Adler & Chris Nash & Eric Pels, 2008. "High-Speed Rail & Air Transport Competition," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 08-103/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    8. Isler, Cassiano Augusto & Blumenfeld, Marcelo & Caldeira, Gabriel Pereira & Roberts, Clive, 2024. "Long-Distance railway mode choice in Brazil: Evidence from a discrete choice experiment," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    9. Varun Raturi & Ashish Verma, 2019. "Competition between High Speed Rail and Conventional Transport Modes: Market Entry Game Analysis on Indian Corridors," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 763-790, September.
    10. Yen, Barbara T.H. & Mulley, Corinne & Tseng, Wen-Chun, 2018. "Inter-modal competition in an urbanised area: Heavy rail and busways," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 77-85.
    11. Jimenez, Edgar & Claro, João & Pinho de Sousa, Jorge & de Neufville, Richard, 2017. "Dynamic evolution of European airport systems in the context of Low-Cost Carriers growth," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(PA), pages 68-76.
    12. Li, Zhi-Chun & Tu, Ningwen & Fu, Xiaowen & Sheng, Dian, 2022. "Modeling the effects of airline and high-speed rail cooperation on multi-airport systems: The implications on congestion, competition and social welfare," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 448-478.
    13. Dobruszkes, Frédéric & Lennert, Moritz & Van Hamme, Gilles, 2011. "An analysis of the determinants of air traffic volume for European metropolitan areas," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 755-762.
    14. Chen, Zhenhua, 2023. "Socioeconomic Impacts of high-speed rail: A bibliometric analysis," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    15. Suau-Sanchez, Pere & Burghouwt, Guillaume, 2011. "The geography of the Spanish airport system: spatial concentration and deconcentration patterns in seat capacity distribution, 2001–2008," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 244-254.
    16. Alderighi, Marco & Cento, Alessandro & Nijkamp, Peter & Rietveld, Piet, 2012. "Competition in the European aviation market: the entry of low-cost airlines," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 223-233.
    17. Delaplace, Marie & Dobruszkes, Frédéric, 2015. "From low-cost airlines to low-cost high-speed rail? The French case," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 73-85.
    18. Wan, Yulai & Ha, Hun-Koo & Yoshida, Yuichiro & Zhang, Anming, 2016. "Airlines’ reaction to high-speed rail entries: Empirical study of the Northeast Asian market," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 532-557.
    19. Cascetta, Ennio & Coppola, Pierluigi, 2016. "Assessment of schedule-based and frequency-based assignment models for strategic and operational planning of high-speed rail services," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 93-108.
    20. Dobruszkes, Frédéric, 2009. "New Europe, new low-cost air services," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 423-432.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:18:y:2011:i:6:p:870-879. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30473/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.