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Scale economies in United States rail transit systems

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  • Savage, Ian

Abstract

A three-staged least squares translog cost function is estimated for 13 heavy-rail and nine light-rail United States urban mass transit systems for the period 1985-1991. Firm output is taken to be endogenous. Large economies of density are found in operating costs. These economies become even more substantial when the cost of way and structure maintenance and capital costs are incorporated. However, there are constant returns to system size in short-run variable costs.

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  • Savage, Ian, 1997. "Scale economies in United States rail transit systems," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 459-473, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:31:y:1997:i:6:p:459-473
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Viton, Philip A., 1993. "Once again, the costs of urban rapid transit," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 401-412, October.
    2. Braeutigam, Ronald R & Daughety, Andrew F & Turnquist, Mark A, 1984. "A Firm Specific Analysis of Economies of Density in the U.S. Railroad Industry," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(1), pages 3-20, September.
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    2. Abe, Ryosuke & Kato, Hironori, 2017. "What led to the establishment of a rail-oriented city? Determinants of urban rail supply in Tokyo, Japan, 1950–2010," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 72-79.
    3. Mancuso, Paolo & Reverberi, Pierfrancesco, 2003. "Operating costs and market organization in railway services. The case of Italy, 1980-1995," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 43-61, January.
    4. Hörcher, Daniel & Tirachini, Alejandro, 2021. "A review of public transport economics," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 25(C).
    5. Winston, Clifford & Maheshri, Vikram, 2007. "On the social desirability of urban rail transit systems," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 362-382, September.
    6. van den Berg, Vincent A.C. & Rouwendal, Jan, 2016. "Tender auctions with existing operators bidding," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 6(C), pages 1-10.
    7. Huang, Wencheng & Zhang, Yue & Shuai, Bin & Xu, Minhao & Xiao, Wei & Zhang, Rui & Xu, Yifei, 2019. "China railway industry reform evolution approach: Based on the Vertical Separation Model," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 546-556.
    8. Betancor, Ofelia & Carmona, Miguel & Macário, Rosário & Nash, Chris, 2005. "Operating Costs," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 85-124, January.
    9. Leonardo J. Basso & Sergio R. Jara-Díaz & William G. Waters, 2011. "Cost Functions for Transport Firms," Chapters, in: André de Palma & Robin Lindsey & Emile Quinet & Roger Vickerman (ed.), A Handbook of Transport Economics, chapter 12, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    10. Fumitoshi Mizutani & Hideo Kozumi & Noriaki Matsushima, 2009. "Does yardstick regulation really work? Empirical evidence from Japan’s rail industry," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 36(3), pages 308-323, December.
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    12. Fumitoshi Mizutani & Shuji Uranishi, 2013. "Does vertical separation reduce cost? An empirical analysis of the rail industry in European and East Asian OECD Countries," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 31-59, January.
    13. Fumitoshi Mizutani & Andrew Smith & Chris Nash & Shuji Uranishi, 2015. "Comparing the Costs of Vertical Separation, Integration, and Intermediate Organisational Structures in European and East Asian Railways," Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, University of Bath, vol. 49(3), pages 496-515, July.
    14. Alireza Ermagun & David Levinson, 2015. "Access and Transit System Performance," Working Papers 000129, University of Minnesota: Nexus Research Group.
    15. Qiao, Yu & Fricker, Jon D. & Labi, Samuel, 2019. "Effects of bundling policy on project cost under market uncertainty: A comparison across different highway project types," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 606-625.
    16. Zakharenko, Roman & Luttmann, Alexander, 2023. "Downsizing the jet: A forecast of economic effects of increased automation in aviation," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 25-47.
    17. Anupriya, & Graham, Daniel J. & Carbo, Jose M. & Anderson, Richard J. & Bansal, Prateek, 2020. "Understanding the costs of urban rail transport operations," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 292-316.

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