Intercity travelers in a railway heritage context: Quantitative assessment of the Victoria - Temuco Regional Service, Chile

Abstract

In epistemological terms, the railway is considered as a study object that allows multiple observations. On the one hand, its exclusive role is transporting, but on the other hand, its symbolic and material value for the inhabitants of urban and rural areas of the territories. This study analyzes the railway service valuation by its users regarding its significance in their daily activities. Using a quantitative methodological approach, railway passengers were contacted (n=224) to analyze their assessment using variables, such as railway operation, the reason for using the service, and valuation characteristics. Among the findings, analyzed based on particular variables, there is a distinct positive assessment of the service efficacy, the need to widen the services offered, and a close bond between the railway and local culture and family history. This is one of the factors affecting this choice of transportation from others.