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The WCTRS global subway efficiency benchmarking task force inaugural report: The key findings, lessons learned, policy issues investigated

Author

Listed:
  • Oum, Tae Hoon
  • Wang, Kun
  • Yu, Chunyan
  • Coppola, Pierlugi
  • Castagna, Luigi
  • Kato, Hironori
  • Le, Yiping
  • Luo, Xiao
  • Gan, Suhui
  • Kim, Kyungtaek
  • Kim, Woojin
  • Patil, Gopal
  • Gaur, Vinayak
  • Circella, Giovanni
  • Mohiuddin, Hossain
  • Lecompte, Maria Carolina
  • Lim, Clark

Abstract

This study presents the key summary of the inaugural report of the WCTRS Global Subway Efficiency Benchmarking Task Force, focusing on evaluating the operating efficiency of subway systems across Asia, Europe, and North America. Given the increasing need for urban transit authorities to balance multiple objectives, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing public health, this benchmarking initiative provides a crucial assessment of their productivity and efficiency of operations. We employed the Variable Input Productivity (VIP) method intelligently computed by the translog multilateral indexing method, chosen over DEA due to its transitive properties and better suitability for policy applications. Our analysis measures the VIP index, specifically examining labor and soft input productivities, to gauge how efficiently subway systems utilize their variable resources. By adjusting for factors beyond management control through regression analysis, we derived Net VIP scores, offering a more accurate comparison across different cities.

Suggested Citation

  • Oum, Tae Hoon & Wang, Kun & Yu, Chunyan & Coppola, Pierlugi & Castagna, Luigi & Kato, Hironori & Le, Yiping & Luo, Xiao & Gan, Suhui & Kim, Kyungtaek & Kim, Woojin & Patil, Gopal & Gaur, Vinayak & Cir, 2025. "The WCTRS global subway efficiency benchmarking task force inaugural report: The key findings, lessons learned, policy issues investigated," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 353-363.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:162:y:2025:i:c:p:353-363
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2024.12.012
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    References listed on IDEAS

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