High-Speed Line Airport Connections in Europe: State-of-the-Art Study

Throughout the history of the different modes of transport, the idea of intermodal competition has, until very recently, dominated viewpoints. In the past 10 years, however, recognition of the need for collaboration between rail and aviation transport has become increasingly evident, mainly as a result of increased mobility. Since the 1950s, in Europe, rail transport has been the prevailing method used to connect urban centers to their respective airports. With the introduction of high-speed rail service, however, a distinctly new type of collaboration between both transport modes has appeared, for through the use of high-speed rail connections, travelers from areas located as far as 300 to 400 km from the urban center can reach the airport with ease. Presented are the current transport solutions that have been adopted by certain European airports in regard to high-speed rail. There is also an objective to reach some conclusions that could be of interest to the airports in Europe or around the world that are not currently using high-speed rail service.