IMPACT OF LOW COST AIRLINES ON UPPER CLASS RAIL TRANSPORT FOR LONG-HAUL TRAVEL IN INDIA

Modal shift arises when a new mode (or upgraded mode) has an added advantage(s) over the existing mode for the same cost of travel. Present study aims to examine the shift behaviour of upper class rail passengers (AC – First Class, I-AC & AC – 2 Tier, II-AC) to Low Cost Airlines (LCA) under long-haul scenario (distance > 1,000 Km) in India. For this purpose, a Stated Preference (SP) questionnaire was prepared and conducted face-to-face interview survey among 300 upper class rail passengers whose trip origin as Chennai (India). The survey data was coded and a binary Logit model was developed using Statistical Software Tools (SST) software. The results indicated that the passengers making personal trip with age more than sixty travelling in upper class rail are more likely to switch to LCA. Whereas passengers who think the air travel is costly are less likely to switch to air mode. Proposed fare difference significantly influenced in modal shift behaviour with t-value of -18.46. The study revealed that when the air fare is equal to I AC class rail fare, 95% of upper class passengers are willing to shift to air mode.