On the Passenger Travel Behavior of High-Speed Railway in China-With Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway Channel as an Example

The travel behavior of passengers in Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway channel was discussed on the basis of random sampling according to RP/SP investigation theory in passengers by different public transport. The random sampling was conducted in railway stations, airport terminals, and long-distance bus terminals along Beijing-Shanghai channel and its attraction areas to collecting data from passengers traveling by railway, aviation, or coaches. Over 60,000 pieces of effective questionnaire were collected, in which, such information of were collected as the selected communication media, traveling aims, occupational distribution, level of income, and travel intention survey was finished in each piece of effective questionnaire. From the data in the questionnaire, the passenger travel behavior of high-speed railway was analyzed along with the requirements on convenience, traveling comfort, safety on comparisons of traveling speed, and service quality between high-speed railway and other communication medias as low-speed railway, aviation, and couch. The results show that passengers with higher monthly income and traveling frequently would like more to travel by high-speed railway than by other media. Meanwhile, the advantages of high-speed railway have relationship with traveling distance. In short-distance routes, high-speed railway has no obvious advantages over low-speed railway and coaches on express highway. And in long-distance routes, high-speed railway would attract quite a number of passengers in low-speed railway and coaches on express highway. Besides, passengers who like to travel by aviation plane focus on its rapidity and the characteristics of high-speed railway as high traveling speed, short waiting time, comfortable traveling environment would help it to attract more passengers traveling by high-speed railway other than aviation plane.