Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) index to measure the accessibility impacts of new infrastructure investments: the case of the high-speed train corridor Madrid-Barcelona-French border

Abstract

This paper applies Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology to analyse gains in the accessibility of Spanish territory produced by the new high-speed train (HST) Madrid-Barcelona-French border. A geographic information system was used to calculate four complementary partial accessibility indicators: an index of location, economic potential, relative efficiency of the network and daily accessibility. The relative accessibility performance of each city can be discussed according to the results of these partial accessibility indicators. However, conclusions on accessibility changes can be quite contradictory depending on which partial accessibility indicator is considered. For this reason, we propose a new methodology, based on DEA, to obtain a composite accessibility index that produces a better understanding of the overall accessibility changes produced by the new infrastructure. The results of the model will be used to extract some policy considerations with respect to the (polarizing/balancing) effects of the line within the Spanish territory.