"The effect of competition in Italian HS Railways on ticket availability" by Evgeniia Shtele

Topic

Ticket availability is one of the key factors influencing passenger satisfaction and their choice of transportation. Despite this, the impact of competition on ticket availability has been scarcely studied, leaving a significant gap in the understanding of market dynamics in the transport sector. Our study addresses this gap by examining how the entry of a new competitor affects ticket availability, particularly in the context of price and the timing before departure. Using the example of the Italian high-speed rail market, where NTV (Italo) began operating on Turin-Venice routes in 2018, we analyzed changes in ticket availability before and after the competitor’s entry. Applying survival analysis methods, we found that competition leads to a significant increase in the availability of cheaper tickets closer to the departure date.).