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Most accessibility measures reported in the literature do not meet certain requirements of transport planners, as the results offered by these indicators are heavily influenced by the geographic location of the places. Peripheral locations invariably figure as being of low accessibility and consequently as possible receptors for new investments, even though they may already have a very good provision of transport infrastructure. In this paper an accessibility indicator is formulated that neutralizes the effect of geographic location. To this end, the customary notion of distance (length, time, or costs) is substituted by another which expresses the ease of access in terms of network efficiency. This indicator can be useful to assist decisions to invest in transport networks, as it is more sensitive than the potential model to the transport infrastructure needs of each individual region. It has been tested by application to the current Spanish Infrastructure Master Plan.

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Last decades have witnessed significant advances in transportation planning methodologies, facilitated by the development of computational algorithms, technologies, spatial modeling tools-such as geographical information systems (GIS) and decision support systems (DSS). However, at strategic planning levels, a commonly accepted assessment model integrating the sustainability paradigm is still lacking. This work presents a novel contribution to this research line, with the proposal of a multi-criteria assessment model embedded in a GIS. The criteria have been designed covering the three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. This assessment model constitutes an interdisciplinary approach tightly linking network analysis, spatial geography, regional economic, and environmental issues in a GIS-based computer framework. The validity of the methodology is tested with its application in a case study: the extension of the high speed rail (HSR) network included in the Spanish Transport and Infrastructure Plan 2005-2020.