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Changing railway structure and ownership: Is anything working?

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  • Louis Thompson

Abstract

Railway structures are changing, with the old integrated monoliths slowly giving way to more complex structures, including forms of multiple access to infrastructure with the dominant user still in charge, and forms of more independent ownership of infrastructure with all authorized users being equal access tenants. At the same time, changes in ownership structure are being explored, from allowing some private operators on public facilities--and public operators on private facilities-to outright privatization. In all cases, concomitant changes, particularly labour restructuring, are emerging as critical. What are the approaches available, where are they being tried and are they working? There is actually a wide range of different experiments, some in surprising places, with changes in structure or in ownership, sometimes both at the same time. Mixed answers are emerging that work (better, if not perfectly). The problem of labour can be addressed as well. Although there is no fixed recipe for success, the issues are beginning to be better understood and useful alternative approaches are emerging that improve, but which do not guarantee, the chances of survival of the rail mode.

Suggested Citation

  • Louis Thompson, 2003. "Changing railway structure and ownership: Is anything working?," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(3), pages 311-355.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:transr:v:23:y:2003:i:3:p:311-355
    DOI: 10.1080/0144164032000101201
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Preston, John & Bickel, Charles, 2020. "And the beat goes on. The continued trials and tribulations of passenger rail franchising in Great Britain," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    2. Paul Amos & Lou Thompson, 2007. "Railways in Development : Global Round-Up 1996-2005," World Bank Publications - Reports 11768, The World Bank Group.
    3. Preston, John, 2018. "The wheels keep on turning: Is the end of rail franchising in Britain in sight?," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 187-196.
    4. Ioannis N. Kessides, 2005. "The Challenges of Infrastructure Privatisation," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 3(1), pages 19-25, 04.
    5. Mette Asmild & Torben Holvad & Jens Hougaard & Dorte Kronborg, 2009. "Railway reforms: do they influence operating efficiency?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 36(5), pages 617-638, September.
    6. Abida Naurin & Shahbaz Gul, 2023. "The Impact of Railway Development on Economic Growth through CPEC," PIDE-Working Papers 2023:5, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
    7. Gertjan Driessen & Mark Lijesen & Machiel Mulder, 2006. "The impact of competition on productive efficiency in European railways," CPB Discussion Paper 71.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    8. Lättilä, Lauri & Henttu, Ville & Hilmola, Olli-Pekka, 2013. "Hinterland operations of sea ports do matter: Dry port usage effects on transportation costs and CO2 emissions," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 23-42.
    9. Paul Amos & Lou Thompson, 2007. "Railways in Development : Global Round-Up 1996-2005," World Bank Publications - Reports 11769, The World Bank Group.
    10. Álvaro Costa & Carlos Oliveira Cruz & Joaquim Miranda Sarmento & Vitor Faria Sousa, 2021. "Empirical Analysis of the Effects of Ownership Model (Public vs. Private) on the Efficiency of Urban Rail Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-14, December.
    11. Waters II, William G., 2007. "Evolution of Railroad Economics," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 11-67, January.
    12. Jurikovič Martin & Tomeš Zdeněk, 2017. "Public and Private Provision of Railway Services: A Case Study from Slovakia," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 16(2), pages 187-201, June.
    13. Chris Nash, 2011. "Competition and Regulation in Rail Transport," Chapters, in: André de Palma & Robin Lindsey & Emile Quinet & Roger Vickerman (ed.), A Handbook of Transport Economics, chapter 33, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Givoni, Moshe & Rietveld, Piet, 2007. "The access journey to the railway station and its role in passengers' satisfaction with rail travel," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 14(5), pages 357-365, September.
    15. Gertjan Driessen & Mark Lijesen & Machiel Mulder, 2006. "The impact of competition on productive efficiency in European railways," CPB Discussion Paper 71, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.

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