The accessibility of railway stations: the role of the bicycle in The Netherlands

The market potential of railway services depends on the quality of the total chain from residence to place of activity. In The Netherlands where natural conditions and infrastructure are conducive, the bicycle is a potentially attractive access mode for railways since it allows travellers to avoid waiting at bus, metro or tram stops. Especially at the home end the bicycle appears to play a large role as an access mode with a share of 35%. At the activity end the share is much shorter. Implications are discussed for policies aiming at increasing the share of multimodal trips. Also physical planning implications are considered.