Will the high-speed train compete against the private vehicle?

The capacity of the high-speed train to compete against travel demand in private vehicles is analysed. A hypothetical context analysed as the high-speed alternative is not yet available for the route studied. In order to model travel demand, experimental designs were applied to obtain stated preference information. Discrete choice logit models were estimated in order to derive the effect of service variables on journey utility. From these empirical demand models, it was possible to predict for different travel contexts and individuals the capacity of the high-speed train to compete with the car, so determining the impact of the new alternative on modal distribution. Furthermore, individual willingness to pay for travel time saving is derived for different contexts. The results allow us to confirm that the high-speed train will have a significant impact on the analysed market, with an important shift of passengers to the new rail service being expected. Different transport policy scenarios are derived. The cost of travel appears to a great extent to be a conditioning variable in the modal choice. These results provide additional evidence for the understanding of private vehicle travel demand.