Addressing air travel demand is a key open challenge in transitioning to a low-carbon society. In Switzerland, where most flights are from/to nearby European countries, their substitution with night train services is a promising alternative. However, still little research investigates whether the demand for night trains is well-established and the motivations behind it. We aim to bridge this gap through a mixed-method study involving 389 Swiss residents who travelled by night train in 2022/23. A web survey was first conducted to identify latent classes of participants based on their daily and long-distance travel mode choices and evaluate relevant predictors of class membership. Participants of each class were then randomly selected to be involved in an in-depth interview on personal experiences and motivations underlying their choices. Results identify three classes of travellers distinguished by a predominant use of rail and public transport (), mixed long-distance travel mode choices and car-oriented daily mobility (), preference for flying combined with public transport and active daily mobility (). Travel cost reduction is the only motivation significantly differentiating and from the . This result suggests that fluctuations in ticket prices are the main driving force in shifting demand from flights to night trains.

中文翻译：

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谁乘坐夜间列车？为什么？一项对瑞士夜行列车用户进行分析的混合方法研究


解决航空旅行需求是向低碳社会转型的一个关键的公开挑战。在瑞士，大多数航班都是往返于附近的欧洲国家，用夜间列车服务替代它们是一个很有前途的选择。然而，仍然很少有研究调查夜间列车的需求是否已确定及其背后的动机。我们的目标是通过一项混合方法研究来弥补这一差距，该研究涉及 2022/23 年乘坐夜行列车的 389 名瑞士居民。首先进行了一项网络调查，根据参与者的日常和长途出行模式选择来识别潜在的参与者类别，并评估类别成员的相关预测因素。然后随机选择每个班级的参与者来参与深入访谈，了解他们选择背后的个人经历和动机。结果确定了三类旅行者，其特点是主要使用铁路和公共交通 ()、混合长途出行方式选择和以汽车为导向的日常出行 ()、偏好飞行与公共交通相结合和主动的日常出行 ()。旅行成本的降低是与 和 显着区别的唯一动机。这一结果表明，票价波动是需求从航班转向夜间列车的主要驱动力。