Competition in the Railway Industry: An International Comparative Analysis (Transport Economics, Management, and Policy)

Competition in the Railway Industry: An International Comparative Analysis (Transport Economics, Management, and Policy) Review

Numerous countries have attempted to improve the performance of their railways by introducing more competition, but there is fierce debate and no consensus on how this is best achieved. This book reveals how railways were an obvious target for reform because they were often losing traffic and money, and because the government was typically deeply involved as either owner or regulator. This book summarizes and assesses the evidence from the experiences of rail reform in Europe, Latin America, and the United States. In short, the book reveals that no one approach has proven to be best across a wide variety of circumstances. It highlights how unbundling (separating infrastructure from train operations so that independent train operators could compete over common tracks) although attractive in theory, has so far proved complex to implement and delivered only some of the promised benefits. Privatization and deregulation have had more demonstrated success in the freight systems of North and South America, but are still largely untested in the more complex railway networks of Europe. The evidence is arguably slightly stronger for privatization and deregulation than for unbundling, but the jury is still out. "Competition in the Railway Industry" is invaluable in that it compares the strategies and experiences of different countries in introducing competition in railways, rather than simply focusing on one country and its approach. As such, it will appeal greatly to those in industry and government interested in railway policy and performance, and privatization and deregulation of utilities more generally. It will also appeal to academics and researchers of public sector, transport and industrial organization.

Transport cost analysis: a case study of the total costs of private and public transport in Auckland [An article from: Environmental Science and Policy]

Transport cost analysis: a case study of the total costs of private and public transport in Auckland [An article from: Environmental Science and Policy] Review

This digital document is a journal article from Environmental Science and Policy, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
The current level of motorised transportation worldwide is increasingly a social, environmental and economic problem. Transport benefits come alongside injuries and death, unproductive travel time, energy dependence, and environmental damage. One reason for the increasing problem results from externalising various impacts on society. Many of these external - or 'unpaid' - costs have only gradually been recognised and most have either been under-valued or are considered impossible to estimate since they have no value in a market. This research assesses the external (unpaid) and internal (user paid) cost of transport. It focuses on estimating the total cost of both private and public transport, using a case study for Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The external costs are significant -2.23% of the GDP produced by the 1.2million Auckland region residents in 2001. Of this private transport generated 28 times more external cost than public transport. The internal cost assessment showed that total revenues collected did not even cover 50% of total transport cost. The research has shown that not only are the external costs of vehicle transport high, but that contrary to popular belief the total costs of private transport are subsidised by public transport users. This has implications for successful transport policy options.

Sustainability in European Transport Policy

Sustainability in European Transport Policy Review

The construction of the European Economic Communities in 1950 primarily set out to build an integrated economic zone in which national borders were, to a large extent, overcome. The ability of persons and goods to move freely within the economic zone was seminal in the realisation of economic integration. Underlying this, and therefore an implied necessity for European growth, an effective transport infrastructure was essential. However, with rising awareness of environmental issues, and a closer regard to sustainability of development, European transport systems and their regulation have come under scrutiny.

This book sets out a critical analysis of the body of law and policy initiatives that constitute the EU's common transport policy. The development of the transport policy is charted through amending and founding Treaties as well as non-legislative documents. The book uses a model of sustainability as the basis for the analysis as the criteria for sustainable development were set out under Article Eleven of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. However, sustainable development, when taken in the context of transport is difficult to reconcile with unbridled economic growth and unchecked freedom of movement and the book identifies a contradiction at the heart of European policy which can only become more accentuated as environmental trends become more explicit. The book argues that European regulation will eventually be forced to recognize this dichotomy, and take more forceful action to protect environmental and social development, even at the cost of economic progress.

This book will be of great interest to researchers and students on European Union law and policy courses, transport studies courses and European integration courses. The book is of relevance to all those interested in environmental and transport matters.

The Future of Intermodal Freight Transport: Operations, Design and Policy (Transport Economics, Management, and Policy)

The Future of Intermodal Freight Transport: Operations, Design and Policy (Transport Economics, Management, and Policy) Review

This book explores the numerous challenges to increase the use of intermodal transport systems in freight transport. In view of the current dominant role of road transport and the increasing difficulties in coping with growing number of vehicles in an efficient and sustainable way, intermodal freight transport could be considered a viable alternative. However, the book makes recognition of the fact that there is still a need to improve the performance of the intermodal transport system. The expert contributors provide an overview of the present role of intermodal freight transport, address opportunities to significantly improve current performance, and demonstrate design and modelling tools used to analyse and support this performance. Requirements for the implementation of intermodal innovations are also prescribed, and policies needed to improve competitiveness are outlined.Many factors contributing to the performance and competitiveness of intermodal freight transport are explored, from technological and organisational innovations through to institutional settings and policy frameworks. This comprehensive range of topics will attract a broad audience including academics, researchers, policymakers and practitioners involved in the design and development of freight transport systems. It will also strongly appeal to those with an interest in the future of freight transport.

Assessing the Benefits and Costs of ITS: Making the Business Case for ITS Investments (Transportation,Research,Economics and Policy, 10)

Assessing the Benefits and Costs of ITS: Making the Business Case for ITS Investments (Transportation,Research,Economics and Policy, 10) Review

Assessing the Benefits and Costs of ITS: Making the Business Case for ITS Investments (Transportation,Research,Economics and Policy, 10) Feature

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The 17 chapters in this book, which evolved from a conference on measuring the contributions of ITS sponsored by the California Department of Transportation in February 2002, examine the costs and benefits of ITS in an economic and business policy context. Section 1 examines the broad theme of how and what ITS contributes to the economy and how one makes a business case for ITS. Section 2 includes three chapters on ITS applications in mass transit. Section 3 explores ITS applications in the automobile/highway system. Section 4 considers integrative issues including how ITS is perceived and how it can be positioned to improve surface transportation. This volume will be especially useful to researchers and policy makers working in transportation, transportation engineering, and the economic analysis of transportation systems.

Structural Change in Transportation And Communications in the Knowledge Society (Transport Economics, Management, and Policy)

Structural Change in Transportation And Communications in the Knowledge Society (Transport Economics, Management, and Policy) Review

The transformation of the world economy from a system of nations trading materials-intensive goods to a system of seamless global networks for information-intensive goods and services has created the need for a comprehensive restructuring of transportation and communications activities. The contributors - transportation and communications analysts from Japan and the United States - address this restructuring from a variety of perspectives ranging from theoretical treatments of the role of information in the economy to applications of communications technologies for the collection of travel data. The authors transcend traditional methods of transportation and communication analysis in order to address emerging issues that are not well represented by the prevailing cost - benefit framework. Many draw from advances in social sciences, such as game theory, that recognize the interdependence of human decision making. New ways of assessing the economic benefit of infrastructure and the evolving role of institutions in the information economy are demonstrated, along with novel approaches to analyzing human mobility and interaction in a knowledge-rich environment. By moving beyond traditional forms of analysis that were better suited to an earlier time, the chapters in this book provide a wealth of insights for policy formulation in the globalized knowledge economy. This comprehensive volume will be of great value to regional scientists and economic geographers, as well as civil engineers, economists, and analysts interested in transportation and communications.

Networks in Transport and Communications: A Policy Approach

Networks in Transport and Communications: A Policy Approach Review

This work contains contributions on policy aspects of networks from a multidisciplinary perspective, including economics, geography, and transport science. Both material and immaterial networks are examined. Policy aspects mainly refers to interventions of the public sector in networks. In addition, the book examines the policies of other actors in shaping networks and territorial effects of networks as whole.

Transport Policy and the Environment: Six case studies (Energy and Infrastructure Set)

Transport Policy and the Environment: Six case studies (Energy and Infrastructure Set) Review

Transport, in particular the motor vehicle, is a major source of environmental disruption and, in the developed world, accounts for 30 per cent of energy consumption. In most countries, transport policy is a major government concern, yet it is rare for decisions to be made outside a narrow set of sectoral considerations. This book, commissioned by the OECD, looks at seven countries; the UK, the USA, West Germany, France, The Netherlands, Greece and Italy. Each case demonstrates, in different ways, the problems in transport policies produced by the failure is a consequence of departmental division: transport, the environment, the exchequer, etc. all have their own, quite separate ministries. Here, a group of economists have demonstrated both the folly of such partial ways of thinking and, in writing their critiques of specific disaster, have provided models for ways forward. Originally published in 1990

Transport Policy in the European Union (European Union Series (Palgrave (Firm)).)

Transport Policy in the European Union (European Union Series (Palgrave (Firm)).) Review

Transport policy was regarded sufficiently important to warrant its own title in the Treaty of Rome as an obvious and essential complement to the freedom of movement of persons, goods, services and capital. This book explores why European transport policies, caught in a complex web of practical, political and institutional pressures, were so slow to develop until driven forward with the internal market, and why any comprehensive and coherent policy may still prove elusive.