How subway network affects transit accessibility and equity: A case study of Xi'an metropolitan area

Subway, as a premium transit mode, can certainly save travel time as a whole, while it charges more and creates barriers to access valued destinations. However, traditional accessibility evaluations consider only travel time as the constraint of travel, which fails to capture the effects of the monetary item. Hence, this study integrates both travel time and fares into an accessibility measure and explores how metro system shapes public transit accessibility and social equity in Xi'an metropolitan area. The results show that Xi'an subway network improves public transit accessibility and supports the development of urban agglomeration via the metro corridor between the hub and sub-cities; the subway network deepens the spatial inequity of accessibility, particular for low-income populations, who also experience a lower level of transit accessibility on average.