Modelling dynamic structures of fares in high-speed rail market

The entering of High Speed Rail (HSR) passenger services generate competition in the market with other rail services, other HSR companies, and other transport modes. The dynamic structure of fares in the HSR market assume an important role in the supply of scheduled transport services and in the users’ choices of alternative modes and services at intercity level. The HSR fare structures, similarly to the air services, are characterized by evolutions and changes over time. The fares variations are caused by several factors connected both to travelers’ behavior (e.g., day of planned trip, time interval between the day of ticket purchasing and the day of planned trip) and to strategies of the companies supplying the HSR services (e.g., fare category, commercial policies). The paper presents some fare model specifications for the representation for the dynamic variation over time of HSR fares taking into account the reference temporal variables. The aim of the study is to identify and compare the characteristics of the fares evolution over time, by means of a method that allows a dynamic analysis.