Enabling a Sustainable Modal Shift: a Pilot Study on Willingness to Pay for Rail Transport in Thailand’s Sugar Industry

Despite significant investments in rail infrastructure, road transport continues to dominate in Thailand’s sugar industry. This pilot study examines the reasons behind slow rail adoption by applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). This study used data from logistics managers in Northeast Thailand, who participated in a structured questionnaire covering attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention. The results indicated a behavioral intention score ranging from 3.00 to 3.20, suggesting a moderate inclination toward modal shift, with attitudes and perceived control emerging as the strongest influences, while subjective norms had only a minor effect. Willingness to pay for rail ranged from 200 to 230 THB per ton-kilometers—substantially below the 400 to 430 THB required for exclusive road use, indicating some degree of caution despite generally positive views toward rail. This study creates a combined framework using TPB–CVM for analyzing behavioral-economic freight modeling and suggests including demand-side interventions, such as risk mitigation and normative support, alongside infrastructure-led strategies. The findings inform the design of logistics policies that support a more sustainable modal shift.