Accessibility to cultural economy opportunities by high-speed rail

Cultural economy includes the exploitation of cultural venues and facilities, as well as aspects related to human capital and education. Given the increasing centrality of the cultural sector, accessibility to its opportunities is considered crucial for the success of any European city. According to the Trans-European Transport Network policy, High-Speed Rail (HSR) will be the backbone of several multimodal corridors. Once operational, HSR are expected to become a competitive and reliable solution to connect metropolitan areas and main cities within the European continent. Although the scientific literature has extensively discussed the reduction in travel time and cost, as well as the territorial impacts of HSR, its implications on cultural economy opportunities have not been yet investigated. To address this issue, this study proposes a method for evaluating accessibility to the cultural economy through HSR, comparing results with conventional rail service and the car. First, indicators from the European Union’s Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor are selected to define operatively the cultural economy. Then, the relative and absolute accessibility of HSR is assessed through the travel-cost approach. Testing the method to cities in northeastern Italy, results indicate a general increase in accessibility. The primary beneficiaries are medium-sized cities located close to the main nodes, thus suggesting that the envisioned widespread HSR network distributes the benefits equitably and contradicting the “tunnel effect”. These results are valuable for policymakers, as they provide a clearer understanding of the potential impact of HSR on modal shift and travel behaviour for a specific segment of trips.