High-speed rail modal split on routes with high air traffic density

The impact of high-speed railways on routes with high air traffic density was investigated and analysed. The case considered was the Madrid–Barcelona route, which had the highest volume of air traffic in Europe, nearly 5 million passengers per year, prior to the opening of the high-speed railway line in February 2008. Demand and market share evolution is evaluated and a comparison is made with other cases and with the forecasts presented in a previous paper. The results show that, as forecast, with maximum speeds of 300 km/h, the high-speed market share in routes where air competition is very strong does not reach the levels usually obtained in previous European high-speed links where competition from air transport was less important.