Passengers' Demand Characteristics Experimental Analysis of EMU
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sustainability Article Passengers’ Demand Characteristics Experimental Analysis of EMU Trains with Sleeping Cars in Northwest China Yuzhao Zhang * , Jianqiang Wang and Wenjuan Cai School of Traffic and Transportation, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China; [email protected] (J.W.); [email protected] (W.C.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 20 July 2019; Accepted: 25 September 2019; Published: 27 September 2019 Abstract: Passenger demand characteristics for electrical multiple unit (EMU) trains with sleeping cars will directly affect the train operation scheme in a long transportation corridor. Descriptive statistics of individual attributes and passenger choice intentions for EMU trains with sleeping cars are calculated based on the revealed preference (RP) and stated preference (SP) survey data in Northwest China to illustrate the overall conditions of passengers’ demands. Considering the higher dimensionality and multi-collinearity in the dataset of influencing factors, the factor analysis method was first adopted to reduce the number of dimensions of the raw dataset and obtain orthogonal common factors. Then, the ordinal logistic regression model was adopted to test and perform a regression analysis based on multinomial logit theory. The analysis shows that these influencing factors, such as income, profession, educational background and residence, would have a greater impact on the choice of an EMU train with sleeping cars. It is significant that passengers’ choice intentions are positively correlated with income and educational background. The result can provide some reference for the decision-making regarding operating an EMU train with sleeping cars in Northwest China. In addition, the proposed method can be applied to the analysis of passengers’ demand characteristics in similar situations. Keywords: passenger transport; transportation corridor; data analysis; EMU trains with sleeping cars; multinomial logit 1. Introduction The purpose of the operation of railway passenger trains is to satisfy the demand of passengers. Therefore, the operation mode of passenger trains depends on the characteristics of passenger flow [1]. Trains running on high-speed railways are highly competitive in the passenger transportation market because of the advantages of high speed, short travel time, high operating density, low energy consumption and low pollution [2,3]. Because high-speed railways operate in the daytime and are stationary at night, high-speed trains seldom include sleeping cars. For those passengers who spend more than five hours travelling, their level of fatigue increases sharply. Therefore, the service quality for passengers will be influenced, and the demand for night travel cannot be met. Electrical multiple unit (EMU) trains with sleeping cars operate with a sunset departure and a sunrise arrival, and this operation is an attempt by the China railways to improve the operation mode of high-speed railways based on market demand. To make full use of the transport capacity of high-speed rails in the evening and meet the market demand better, since 1 January 2015 eight pairs of sunset-departure and sunrise-arrival EMU trains with sleeping cars have been running between Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Shenzhen. From the beginning, the passenger flows of these trains have been increasing Sustainability 2019, 11, 5338; doi:10.3390/su11195338 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2019, 11, 5338 2 of 17 steadily, and the operation effects are good [4]. Subsequently, according to the actual demand, some railway bureaus in central and eastern China added a certain number of EMU trains with sleeping cars. 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Interior and and exterior exterior photos photos of a ofsleeping a sleeping car. car. Figure 1. Interior and exterior photos of a sleeping car. 3500 EMU train with sleeping cars 25 EMU train with sleeping cars Business seat of EMU train with speed of 300km/h 3500 First class seat of EMU train with speed of 300km/h EMU train with sleeping cars EMU train with speed of 300km/h 3000 Second class seat of EMU train with speed of 300km/h Business seat of EMU train with speed of 300km/h 25 Ordinary EMU trainpassenger with sleepingtrain cars First class seat of EMU train with speed of 250km/h First class seat of EMU train with speed of 300km/h 20 Second class seat of EMU train with speed of 250km/h EMU train with speed of 300km/h 3000 Second class seat of EMU train with speed of 300km/h 2500 First class berth of ordinary passenger train Ordinary passenger train First class seat of EMU train with speed of 250km/h Second class berth of ordinary passenger train 20 Second class seat of EMU train with speed of 250km/h 2500 15 2000 First class berth of ordinary passenger train Second class berth of ordinary passenger train 15 1500 2000 10 Travel timeTravel (h) Ticket(yuan) price 1000 1500 10 5 timeTravel (h) 500Ticket(yuan) price 1000 5 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 500 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 Distance (km) Distance (km) 0(a) Comparison 500 1000 of travel 1500 time 2000 2500 0(b) Comparison 500 1000 of ticket 1500 price 2000 2500 Distance (km) Distance (km) (a) ComparisonFigure of travel 2. Comparison time among different kinds of trains. Figure 2. Comparison among different kinds of (b)trains. Comparison of ticket price Figure 2. Comparison among different kinds of trains. 2 2 Sustainability 2019, 11, 5338 3 of 17 In Figure 22(a),a, when when the the distance distance is is from from 1500 1500 km km to to 2500 2500 km, km, the the travel travel time time of ofEMU EMU trainstrains withwith sleeping carscars isis betweenbetween 8 8 and and 13 13 hours. hours. Moreover, Moreover, the the average average speed speed of EMUof EMU trains trains with with sleeping sleeping cars carsis far is greater far greater than than that ofthat ordinary of ordinary passenger passenger trains, trains, while while slightly slightly less thanless than that ofthat EMU of EMU trains trains with withspeed speed of 300 of km 300/h. km/h. Figure Figure2b shows 2(b) thatshows the that average the average ticket price ticket of price EMU of trains EMU with trains sleeping with sleeping cars is carsapproximately is approximately equal to equal that ofto firstthat classof first seat class of EMU seat of trains EMU with trains speed with of speed 300k m of/h, 300k and m/h, it is evidently and it is evidentlylower than lower that ofthan business that of classbusiness seat ofclass EMU seat trains of EMU with trains speed with of 300 speed km /ofh, 300 while km/h, it is while obviously it is obviouslyhigher than higher that of than EMU that trains of EMU with speedtrains ofwith 250 speed km/h andof 250 ordinary km/h and passenger ordinary trains. passenger Although trains. the Althoughcomfort degree the comfort of different degree passenger of different trains passenger for passengers trains isfor di passengersfficult to quantify, is difficult it is generallyto quantify, agreed it is generallythat the traveling agreed that comfort the traveling by seat is comfort much lower by seat than is that much of sleepinglower than car that when of travelsleeping time car exceeds when travel8 hours. time The exceeds EMU trains8 hours. with The sleeping EMU trains cars canwith run sleeping more thancars can 2000 run kilometers more than at 2000 night kilometers with higher at nightlong-distance with higher service long-distance quality [5]. service quality [5]. According to to the the operation operation status status of EMU of EMU trains trains with with sleeping sleeping cars, they cars, can they enhance can enhance the service the qualityservice and quality transport and transport capacity capacity of railway of passenger railway passenger transportation. transportation. In addition, In addition,they help theyto optimize help to theoptimize