An influence path analytic study for the operational performance of large passenger railway stations: The China case

The knowledge development of the influence mechanism for the operational performance of large passenger railway stations (OPLPRS) is of great significance for station managers in making comprehensive management decisions, particularly in determining the decision direction under limited allocatable resources. Hence, this paper is dedicated to conducting an empirical study on the influence path analysis of OPLPRS to enrich the relevant theoretical development and better assist in the choice of decision direction at the macro level. First, a hierarchical performance component system (HPCS) with multiple groupings is developed for OPLPRS, and several hypotheses are formulated for its internal structural relationships. Then, a multi-path analytic method based on structural equation modeling (SEM-MPAM) is proposed to (1) establish and validate the conceptual structure of HPCS and measure each path coefficient inside, and (2) quantitatively analyze the direct, indirect, and compound influence paths of each performance component or group on the OPLPRS with and without considering the decision timeliness. Survey data from two representative large passenger railway stations in China is applied to the proposed SEM-MPAM to conduct the influence path analysis. The results well support the developed hypotheses and path structure, yield the influence intensity of multiple paths, and therefore identify the critical influence paths of the OPLPRS under different conditions. Finally, the practical implications gained, the applications of multi-path analytic findings in meeting different decision-making needs, and the applicability of the proposed method are discussed, which helps station managers better seek the optimal improvement of OPLPRS in practice.