Industry network analysis of ecosystem transformation in the railway industry from pre-to post-covid-19

This study employs a network-based methodological framework to model the railway transportation industry ecosystem as a network and to examine its structural transformation from before the COVID-19 pandemic to after. How the railway transportation sector’s responds to external shocks is examined by comparing the industrial structure in normal times with that under crisis conditions. The characteristics of the changed network are quantified through centrality indicators and path analysis, to provide foundational data for formulating crisis-response strategies in the railway industry. The centrality of railway transportation services within the entire industrial network is first investigated, to then derive forward and backward linkage paths from the railway transportation sector. The results showed that the industry’s degree and betweenness centrality declined while its closeness centrality increased markedly following the COVID-19 pandemic, signaling a reorganization of inter-industry linkages. On the forward side, ties with wholesale and retail trade weakened, while connections with road-freight transport services strengthened. Meanwhile, the backward-linkage paths remained comparatively stable. The study’s quantitative substantiation of the structural changes induced by an external shock may serve as empirical basis for building a sustainable railway-industry ecosystem and devising effective future crisis-response stiategies.