Abstract

The financing of transport infrastructure has been discussed in this chapter as an issue between efficient pricing and political distribution. Historically, toll pricing and private investment in transport infrastructure has been frequent and important (e.g., in the railway era), and market orientation relevant. More recently, e.g., in the economic growth after the Second World War and the construction of large motorway networks as well as urban transit systems, public funding and operation has largely dominated. Economists, models for the return to some economic principles promoting an efficient allocation of funds, environmental resources, and users’ time are of limited relevance as long as distributional issues prevail. Therefore, the conclusion is that the increasing emphasis in the literature on analyzing and understanding the economics of transport policy and the mechanisms of collective choices in the sector will improve the feasibility of financing infrastructure via pricing. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

In an age when escalating fuel prices, global warming and world resource depletion are of great concern, sustainable transport practices promise to define a new way of mobility into the future. With its comparatively minimal negative environmental impacts, non reliance on fuels and positive health effects, the simple bicycle offers significant benefits to humankind. These benefits are evident worldwide where bicycles are successfully endorsed through improved infrastructure, supporting policies, public education and management. In Australia, the national, state and local governments are introducing measures to improve and support green transport. This is necessary as current bicycle infrastructure is not always sufficient and the longstanding conflict with motorized transport still exists. The aim for the future is to implement sustainable hard and soft bicycle infrastructure globally; the challenges of such a task can be illustrated by the city of Brisbane, Australia. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

Understanding how land prices are determined is of particular importance for policy makers; however, there is little evidence in African countries, which are currently experiencing rapid urbanization. The paper examines the relationship between land prices and locational characteristics using data from Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. It is found that the land value gradients are relatively steep, indicating that the land and housing prices tend to overshoot in the middle of the city, pushing the poor away from the city to suburban areas. It is also found that access to transport infrastructure and services, such as minibuses, is an important determinant of land value. Not only transport connectivity, but also other factors, such as proximity to amenities and administrative centers, are found to be important. Better land management and urban transport policies are called for to promote these aspects in the city. Document type: Book

Abstract

espanolLa necesidad de dar respuesta al freno que suponia la deficitaria red de transporte terrestre para el crecimiento de la economia se convirtio en un objetivo basico de la politica inversora del Estado durante el siglo XX. Un primer esfuerzo constructor se produjo en el primer tercio del siglo, dando inicio a la etapa contemporanea del transporte por carretera en Espana. Tras el paron de la postguerra civil, un nuevo impulso tuvo lugar a partir de 1960 y hasta la crisis de mediados de los setenta, multiplicandose las inversiones destinadas a este fin. Durante la transicion asistimos a una brusca caida de las inversiones que llevo aparejado un estancamiento de la longitud de la red y a la transferencia de una parte de las carreteras a las nacientes Comunidades Autonomas. El pais realizo, desde mediados de los ochenta y ayudado por los fondos europeos, un esfuerzo considerable, pasando de pais atrasado a converger con Europa en equipamiento de grandes infraestructuras de transporte. EnglishThe need to address the constraint on the growth of the Spanish economy caused by the deficient road transport network became a primary objective of the State’s investment policy during the whole of the 20th century. An initial effort to build the network was made in the first thirty years of the century, marking the start of the contemporary era of road transport in Spain. This development was interrupted by the civil war, then, a new boost in road construction took place between 1960 until the crisis of the mid 1970s, a period during which investments in road infrastructure were multiplied. During the Transition period there was a sharp fall in investments, no efforts were made to extend the length of the network and the competences for part of the roads were transferred to the newly-formed Autonomous Regions. From the mid-1980s and with the help of European funds, Spain made a considerable effort to modernise its network. It is no longer underdeveloped and has converged with the rest of Europe in terms of its largescale transport infrastructure facilities. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

In transportation planning there can be long lead times to adapt capacity. This paper addresses two questions. First, in a one mode world (say rail or road), what is the optimal capacity choice when faced with uncertain demand, long lead times and congestion. Using a simple analytical model it is shown that when demand is inelastic, it is socially optimal to invest more than if only the expected level of demand is taken into account. In this case it may be beneficial to overinvest in capacity because congestion costs are a convex function of relative use. This result holds with or without optimal tolling. The second question deals with two competing modes and where only one mode has long lead times for capacity while the other has flexible capacity. This is typical for the competition between High Speed Rail and air for the medium distance trips (500 to 1000 km), or for the competition between inland waterways and trucks for freight. We find that overinvestment is less justified because the substitute mode can more easily absorb the high demand outcomes. ispartof: CES - Discussion paper series (DPS) 08.09 pages:1-20 status: published

Abstract

En el contexto de un proceso de concesiones portuarias paralizado y de un debate acerca de la conveniencia de retomarlo, este estudio evalúa el desempeño del terminal de Matarani, administrado desde 1999 por la empresa Terminal Internacional del Sur S.A. (TISUR), y único puerto peruano entregado en concesión hasta el momento. El objetivo es evaluar las características del proceso de concesión, estimar su impacto en la economía e identificar las implicancias de entregar en concesión otros puertos del país. Con este fin, se analizó el modelo utilizado para introducir la participación privada, se examinó si existe evidencia de una mejor operación del puerto con la concesión y se estimó el impacto sobre el bienestar de cada grupo involucrado. Los resultados revelan que la concesión tuvo un efecto positivo neto sobre el bienestar, estimado en 47,7 millones de soles. El principal beneficiado habría sido el Gobierno, que a pesar de perder los flujos resultantes de la operación de la infraestructura, ha resultado más que compensado por otros efectos: el pago inicial, la retribución, la tasa regulatoria y una mayor recaudación. En segundo lugar, los consumidores, quienes reciben una tercera parte de este cambio en el bienestar y, por último, el concesionario. Los grupos perjudicados serían los trabajadores y el grupo de usuarios intermedios.

Abstract

MOTIVATION:

Economic rationality dictates that investment in the supply of transport should be prioritized where there is demand, but the policies followed by Spanish governments over the past decades do not seem to respond to this logic. The case of the Mediterranean Corridor as it passes through Spain is paradigmatic. The coastal axis from the Pyrenees to Algeciras is the origin or destination of 62% of long-distance traffic in Spain (that is, for distances of 300 km or more, which are essentially those for which the railway can be a means of transport competitive). For this reason, the FERRMED association estimates that investments in the Mediterranean Corridor would contribute 94% of the total economic benefits that European corridors would bring to Spain. It therefore seems that these investments should have a higher priority than others comparable to regions with less demand for transport such as those in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. This, however, is not what is happening, and the Mediterranean Corridor is being harmed not only by very long delays but also by a comparatively lower "low-cost" design than is being applied to regions with much less demand in the interior of the Peninsula. By now we can already predict that this design, as it is conceived, will not provide the benefits that would justify this colossal pan-European investment.

GOAL:

The aim of this work is to analyze the recent history and design of the Mediterranean Corridor as it passes through Spain.

It combines data from various sources, among which it is worth highlighting two very recent studies in which the author of this communication (Eduard Gracia) took part, specifically:

Gracia, Eduard (2022): Sticks on wheels: the Mediterranean Corridor and the logic of power in Spain. Vincle Foundation ((Bastons-a-les-rodes-al-Corredor-Mediterrani-Eduard-Gracia-Fundacio-Vincle.pdf (fundaciovincle.com))

FERRMED (2023): Study of traffic and modal shift optimization in the EU (llibre FERRMED-separata.indd) (Eduard Gracia is responsible for the economic analysis section of this study).

MAIN RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:

1. The design of the European railway corridors as they pass through Spain does not seem to respond to the basic economic logic according to which it is necessary to invest in additional transport supply as a priority where there is demand, given that the axes with the most traffic (basically on the Mediterranean coast ) rather more limited technical solutions are being implemented than on lines with much less traffic demand.

2. Therefore, and beyond the worrying delays in its implementation, the design of the Mediterranean corridor as currently planned cannot offer the capacity and services necessary to achieve the objectives that justify this colossal work - in particularly the European objective of transporting by rail/combined transport 30% of the goods that travel by land (today in Spain it is 5%) towards the year 2030.

Abstract

Rail transport generally has the advantage for large-volume long-haul freight operations. The literature generally shows that shipping distance, costs, and reliability are among the most important determinants of people's modal choice among road, rail, air, and coastal shipping transport. However, there is little evidence in Africa, although the region historically possesses significant rail assets. Currently, Africa's rail transport faces intense competition against truck transportation. With firm-level data, this paper examines shippers' modal choice in Tanzania. The traditional multinomial logit and McFadden’s choice models were estimated. The paper shows that rail prices and shipping distance and volume are important determinants of firms' mode choice. The analysis also finds that the firms' modal choice depends on the type of transactions. Rail transport is more often used for international trading purposes. Exporters and importers are key customers for restoring rail freight operations. Rail operating speed does not seem to have an unambiguous effect on firms' modal selection. Document type: Book

Abstract

Railway transport generally has the advantage for large-volume, long-haul freight operations. Africa possesses significant railway assets. However, many rail lines are currently not operational because of the lack of maintenance. The paper recasts light on the impact of rail transportation on firm productivity, using micro data collected in Tanzania. To avoid the endogeneity problem, the instrumental variable technique is used to estimate the impact of rail transport. The paper shows that the overall impact of rail use on firm costs is significant despite that the rail unit rates are set lower when the shipping distance is longer. Rail transport is a cost-effective option for firms. However, the study finds that firms' inventory is costly. This is a disadvantage of using rail transport. Rail operations are unreliable, adding more inventory costs to firms. The implied elasticity of demand for transport services is estimated at -1.01 to -0.52, relatively high in absolute terms. This indicates the rail users' sensitivity to prices as well as severity of modal competition against truck transportation. The study also finds that firm location matters to the decision to use rail services. Proximity to rail infrastructure is important for firms to take advantage of rail benefits. Document type: Book

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of transport infrastructure projects of the Belt and Road Initiative on shipment times and trade costs. Based on a new data on completed and planned Belt and Road transport projects, Geographic Information System analysis is used to estimate shipment times before and after the Belt and Road Initiative. Two sets of data are computed to address different research questions: a global database based on an analysis of 1,000 cities in 191 countries and 47 sectors and a regional database that focuses on more granular information (1,818 cities) for Belt and Road economies only. The paper uses sectoral estimates of “value of time” to transform changes in shipment times into changes in ad valorem trade costs at the country-sector level. The findings show that the Belt and Road Initiative will significantly reduce shipment times and trade costs. For the world, the average reduction in shipment time will range between 1.2 and 2.5 percent, leading to reduction of aggregate trade costs between 1.1 and 2.2 percent. For Belt and Road economies, the change in shipment times and trade costs will range between 1.7 and 3.2 percent and 1.5 and 2.8 percent, respectively. Belt and Road economies located along the corridors where projects are built experience the largest gains. Shipment times along these corridors decline by up to 11.9 percent and trade costs by up to 10.2 percent. The paper also shows that these effects are magnified by policy reforms that reduce border delays and improve corridor management. Document type: Article