Deploying effective service strategy in the operations stage of high-speed rail

This paper utilizes a confirmatory passenger continuance behavior model to appraise high-speed rail service quality and performance. Surveys are administered for Taiwan High-Speed Rail (THSR) and Korea Train eXpress (KTX) corporations to gain an understanding of passengers’ perceptions of the operational performance using a proposed satisfaction index. A modified importance–performance analysis is employed to enable elaboration of strategic service management decisions. The empirical study concludes that level of access to THSR station and personal space on KTX train are the top-priority quality indicators that need to be addressed to improve customer satisfaction and corporate profits.

Research highlights► Appraisal of high-speed rail service quality and performance. ► Evaluation of overall and social demographic attribute-level satisfaction. ► Passenger satisfaction index (PSI) model for high-speed rail corporations. ► PSI with the modified importance-performance analysis to implement an effective service strategy.