ABSTRACT
China is a large country, and with its recent rapid economic development, there is massive demand for land transport between different regions. Rail transportation plays a very important role in this development. Since the 1990s, the rail share of the intercity passenger market has declined because of the development of highways and aviation. But there is growing recognition that excessive reliance on these transport modes would cause a number of environmental, energy and safety problems. Weather factors (e.g., fog) and congestion can sharply reduce the efficiency and reliability of these modes as well (Börjesson 2014). Therefore, how to provide a fast and reliable inter-regional rail service – which is somewhat less affected by weather and can avoid congestion – has become an important issue for government.
