Estimating the Price Elasticity of Train Travel Demand and Its Variation Rules and Application in Energy Used and CO 2 Emissions

Youzhi Zeng, Bin Ran, Ning Zhang and Xiaobao Yang
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Youzhi Zeng: College of Civil Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Bin Ran: School of Transportation, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
Ning Zhang: School of Economics and Management, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Xiaobao Yang: MOE Key Laboratory for Urban Transportation Complex Systems Theory and Technology, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 2, 1-19

Abstract: Investigation shows that train travel has a lower pollution impact on the environment than flight travel or car travel. A stated preferences (SP) survey can effectively obtain the data of the commuter’s response to the hypothetical train price changes beyond the scope of previous observations. To this end, based on SP survey, we estimate the price elasticity of train travel demand and analyze its variation rules. It is shown that: (1) the own-price elasticities of demand are −1.049028 during peak period and −1.090438 during off-peak period, respectively; (2) the cross-price elasticities of demand are 0.001280 for train and air and 0.001156 for train and car during peak period; and 0.001350 for train and air and 0.001230 for train and car during off-peak period; (3) the own and cross-price elasticities of demand during off-peak period are bigger than the ones during peak period; (4) when the influence factors’ influence degree is 3 or 5, the own and cross-price elasticities of demand are largest; when the influence degree is 1, the own and cross-price elasticities of demand are smallest. A result application example shows that the elasticities obtained from this paper could be used to reduce energy used and CO 2 emissions effectively.

Keywords: train travel; own-price elasticities of demand; cross-price elasticities of demand; elasticities variation rules; energy used; CO 2 emissions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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