Modeling commuter rail riders’ access mode decision-making using revealed preference data from Austin, Texas

An important and often overlooked aspect of commuter rail trips is the access trip to the boarding station. In this research, a revealed preference survey was conducted among commuter rail riders on the MetroRail Red Line in Austin, Texas to understand riders’ access trip to the station and their chosen mode. Using the access trip distance and mode data, as well as generalized demographic data collected, a binomial logit model was created to estimate whether a rider may choose to access the Red Line by walking or driving to the station. A preference for walking was observed at Downtown Station and Plaza Saltillo Station, and for entertainment and social trips. Travelers boarding at park-and-ride stations and for school trips were found to prefer driving to the station. The model estimated can be used to understand Red Line riders’ decision-making, and may be used to predict access mode for a given trip.Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineerin