Mode-route choice decisions: a case study of CPEC investment in Pakistan railways

. This study proposes the use of multi-criteria decision models (MCDM) for transportation mode-route choice decisions. This method is beneficial when trips' microdata are unavailable. Route-mode choice decisions were investigated for three public transportation modes (buses, railways, and airlines) in the post-China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) investment in Pakistan Railways (PR) for a link between Peshawar and Karachi. TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) was used for the mode choice decisions and a hybrid model of AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Approach) – TOPSIS was used for the route choice decision ML-1 link of PR. This study concludes that rails were the best mode of transportation in post-CPEC investment. Furthermore, route 3, linking Karachi to Peshawar via Lodhran, Multan, and Miniawali, is the best route connection among the four considered routes.