Accessibility by high-speed train and the location choices of offices. The accessibility of locations is often seen as an important factor for the location choices of companies and institutions. Therefore, for many investments in infrastructure the local or regional effect on economic activities plays a role. This is particularly the case with the implementation of high-speed railway infrastructure. The current paper focuses on how accessibility by (high-speed) train can influence the attractiveness of locations for offices within the Randstad region. In the paper the results are described of two discrete choice models of location choices: a stated choice model and a revealed choice model. The model estimations show that different types of accessibility indicators can offer an explanation for location choices of offices. The accessibility by train can influence location choices both via the connectivity (i.e. the access to a station and the level-of-service of that station) and via the potential accessibility (the number of business partners that can be reached). Via the connectivity, high-speed trains are especially of importance in case of international connections. (Author/publisher)
Abstract