The use of accessibility measures to assess efficiency and equito effects of high speed rail projects: Application to the case of Spain.

Abstract

The construction of a high speed rail project may both contribute to strategic transport policy goals, and at the same time it may result in negative impacts. Among them, this paper addresses the issue of the conflict between efficiency (economic) vs. equity (social) effects of high speed rail projects. If the only objective was the maximization of economic growth, the best solution would attempt to improve rail connections between major activity centres. However, this strategy would have a negative impact on equity, as it would lead to more polarized spatial development patterns. Current transport assessment methodologies lack a common procedure to deal with this trade-off. In this context, the paper develops a spatial analysis procedure, based in the use of accessibility measures, to address these conflicting effects. On the one hand, efficiency effects are measured in terms of accessibility improvements. On the other hand, changes in the distribution of regional accessibility values are used to assess equity implications, via the calculation of a set of inequality indices. The proposed procedure is intended to support transport planners when confronted with the task to optimize efficiency and equity objectives. The validity of the methodology is tested with its application to alternative corridor developments of the Spanish high speed network based on the 2020 scenario included in the Spanish Strategic Transport and Infrastructure Plan 2005-2020 (PEIT).