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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Bergantino, Angela Stefania; Madio, Leonardo |
| Abstract: | We study the demand and the willingness-to-pay for a new High-Speed (HSR) line on the Bari-Rome route, and its indirect effect on the connected Brindisi-Rome line, when competing with other existing transport modes. We carry out a discrete choice experiment over a significant number of respondents. We find that reductions in access and egress (A/E) time are more valued than in-vehicle travel time if HSR is available (faster services) while, when only traditional services are available, the opposite is true. This confirms that fragmented journeys, for faster connections, yield greater disutility and this would be the greater competitive advantage of HSR services. We also explore the heterogeneity among respondents, by studying the relationship between in-vehicle, and A/E travel time considering different population segments, i.e. different income levels, travel habits (frequent or occasional), and travel purposes, in order to profile potential users. We also study the patterns of the inter-modal substitutability. We find that increasing the travel distance by 120 km (to Brindisi) still guarantees large substitution between HSR and air transport mode. |
| Date: | 2017 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sit:wpaper:17_6&r=tre |
| By: | Avenali, Alessandro; Bracaglia, Valentina; D’Alfonso, Tiziana; Reverberi, Pierfrancesco |
| Abstract: | There are many examples of airline-high speed rail vertical agreements, where the airline buys train seats to sell the multimodal product. We discuss the formation of such agreements, depending on the sunk costs of cooperation and firms’ bargaining power, and their welfare effects, depending on hub airport capacity and mode substitution. We argue that, contrary to mergers, vertical agreements largely benefit passengers. We propose a simple test as a ‘safe harbor’, which provides a sufficient condition for consumer surplus to be higher under vertical agreements. It may be optimal to subsidize desirable agreements when they are not incentive-compatible for firms. |
| Date: | 2017 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sit:wpaper:17_5&r=tre |
| By: | Wouter (W.) Zant (VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Tinbergen Institute, The Netherlands) |
| Abstract: | We estimate to what extent bridges in Mozambique lead to transport cost reductions and attribute these reductions to key determinants, in particular road distance, road quality and crossing borders. For identification we exploit the introduction of a road bridge over the Zambezi river, in August 2009 between Caia and Chimuara, with the simultaneously completed rehabilitation of the railway bridge between Vila de Sena and Mutarara, which jointly create variation in optimal trading itineraries between markets. Estimations, based on monthly maize prices in 24 markets, for up to five years before and after the (re)introduction of the bridges, are conditioned on spatial price equilibrium with market integration. Bridges explain a reduction of transport costs, averaged over itineraries, from 17% to 42% (ATT). Results are shown to be robust for the non-random bridge placement and various other threats. Reduction in transport costs for particular itineraries is occasionally even larger, and is, generally, mainly due to road distance and modestly to road quality. |
| Keywords: | agricultural markets; transport costs; bridges; Mozambique; sub-Sahara Africa |
| JEL: | D23 D61 O13 O18 Q13 R41 |
| Date: | 2017–12–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tin:wpaper:20170117&r=tre |
| By: | ITF |
| Abstract: | Road safety is a major issue in Latin America and substantial actions are needed to reduce the number of road deaths and injuries. This report describes and benchmarks road safety management and performance in ten Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay. The comparisons in this study allow identifying similarities and differences between countries’ road safety performance. It will be useful to policy makers in assessing weaknesses and strengths, and designing effective road safety policies that make use of the experiences in other countries. This report is part of the International Transport Forum’s Case-Specific Policy Analysis series. These are topical studies on specific issues carried out by the ITF in agreement with local institutions. |
| Date: | 2017–12–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:itfaac:43-en&r=tre |
| By: | Yves Crozet (IEP Lyon - Sciences Po Lyon - Institut d'études politiques de Lyon, LAET - Laboratoire Aménagement Économie Transports - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - ENTPE - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) |
| Abstract: | In July 1991, after lengthy negotiations between European countries, EU Directive 91-440 was published, setting in motion the process of deregulating rail transport. As with other networked industries (power, telecommunications), the European Union (EU) was embarking on a new approach, separating infrastructure and operation, at least from an accounting perspective. Once again, the clear objective was to allow third parties access to the network and to make competition a key lever in the revitalisation of the sector. This initial ambition had been pursued for 25 years, as demonstrated by the successive “Railway Packages” or the creation of the European Railway Agency (ERA), which plays an important role in questions of security and interoperability. Development of the role of the ERA is at the heart of the ‘technical’ pillar of the Fourth Railway Package approved at the end of 2015. This fourth package contains a ‘market’ pillar, which seeks to open up national passenger services to competition, from 2020 for on-track competition and 2023 for public service, off-track contracts. The European Commission underlines the fact that the earlier rail packages have already substantially transformed the European rail transport sector. With this fourth package, the generalisation of competition should lead to a single European railway area, which needed if this mode of transport is to achieve the objectives set out in the 2011 White Paper. Given the success of the reforms of the last 25 years, this direction should be pursued. Presented in this way, the matter seems simple, but is it really? What has been the impact of introducing competition and notably on-track competition into rail transport? |
| Keywords: | EU Directive 91-440,deregulating rail transport,competition,European rail transport sector |
| Date: | 2016–10–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-01397691&r=tre |
| By: | Mogens Fosgerau (Department of Economics, Copenhagen University); Emerson Melo (Indiana University Bloomington); André de Palma (Ecole Normale Superieure de Cachan (ENS)); Matthew Shum (California Institute of Technology) |
| Abstract: | This paper establishes a general equivalence between discrete choice and rational inattention models. Matejka and McKay (2015, AER) showed that when information costs are modelled using the Shannon entropy, the resulting choice probabilities in the rational inattention model take the multinomial logit form. We show that when information costs are modelled using a class of generalized entropies, then the choice probabilities in any rational inattention model are observationally equivalent to some additive random utility discrete choice model and vice versa. This equivalence arises from convex- analytic properties of the random utility model. Thus any additive random utility model can be given an interpretation in terms of boundedly rational behavior. We provide examples of this equivalence utilizing the nested logit model, an empirically relevant random utility model allowing for flexible substitution possibilities between choices. |
| Keywords: | Rational Inattention, Discrete Choice, Random Utility, General Entropy, Convex Analysis |
| JEL: | D03 C25 D81 |
| Date: | 2017–12–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kud:kuiedp:1726&r=tre |
| By: | Chen, C.; Dollevoet, T.A.B.; Zhao, J. |
| Abstract: | We investigate the one-block train formation problem (TFP) in the railway freight transportation industry given a car route for each shipment. The TFP considers both the block design and the car-to-block assignment in the tactical level. Moving beyond current researches on service network design, the unitary rule and the intree rule are taken into account in this study based on the Chinese railway background. We develop a linear binary programming formulation to minimize the sum of train cost and classication delay subject to limitations on the classication capacity and the number of sort tracks at each station. Furthermore, we propose a novel solution methodology that applies a tree-based decomposition algorithm. Here, we rst decompose the whole network into a series of rooted trees for each destination separately. Then, we divide the trees into suciently small subtrees, whose size is regulated by a node size parameter. Finally, we construct a restricted linear binary model for each subtree and solve these models sequentially to nd their optimal solutions. Our computational results on a realistic network from the Chinese railway system with 83 stations, 158 links and 5700 randomly generated demands show that the proposed algorithm can derive high-quality solutions within 3 hours. These solutions are on average 43.89% better than those obtained after solving the linear binary program for 1 day. |
| Keywords: | Railway Freight Transportation, Train Formation Problem, Service Network Design, Tree-based Decomposition, Arborescence Structure |
| Date: | 2017–12–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ems:eureir:103193&r=tre |
| By: | Fernanda Ilhéu; Gonçalo Simões |
| Abstract: | China is a market ripe with opportunities for those who dare challenge its vastness; its alluring promise of an outstanding growth possibility thanks to its immense and growing internal market presents itself to companies as a place of both enormous challenges but also of potentially great rewards. The logistics sector is considered to be one essential vector of competitiveness for the development of consumer market supply. Logistics plays a tremendously important role in a company’s activity. Poor logistics can lead to lost opportunities and unsatisfied customers, among other things, while having a good logistics system in place might work as a source of competitive advantage. Ilhéu (2006) research concluded that the Chinese logistics and distribution system was one of the myriad problems Portuguese companies encountered when trying to establish a presence in China; poor infrastructure and a generalized lack of value-added services in Chinese logistics companies were some of the widespread problems faced. The highly fragmented nature of the current Chinese market, high road tolls or uneven taxes between provinces, all contribute to the maintenance of an inefficient system that imposes a disproportionately high cost of logistics in the country. A new era for logistics is being ushered in by China since competitiveness and e-commerce requires the modernization of infrastructures as a global mindset management. Some research questions then arise: are Chinese logistics still a burden to the efficiency of Chinese domestic market? How has the Chinese logistical sector progressed in the last eleven years? Is the lack of value-added services still perceived by foreign companies as a constraint to entering the Chinese market? |
| Date: | 2017–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cav:cavwpp:wp162&r=tre |
| By: | Elbert, R.; Friedrich, Christian; Knigge, J. |
| Date: | 2017–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dar:wpaper:90749&r=tre |
| By: | Armando Graziano (World Maritime University - Malmø University); Pierre Cariou (KEDGE Business School [Talence] - M.E.N.E.S.R. - Ministère de l'Éducation nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche); François-Charles Wolff (LEMNA - Laboratoire d'économie et de management de Nantes Atlantique - UN - Université de Nantes); Maximo Mejia (World Maritime University - Malmø University); Jens-Uwe Schröder-Hinrichs (World Maritime University - World Maritime University) |
| Abstract: | The succession of maritime accidents in the last decades of the 20th Century caused a strong political and public outcry for more stringent maritime safety regulations and measures. One of the most significant developments in this regard was the establishment of several regional agreements on Port State Control (PSC) with the specific objective of fighting substandard shipping through coordinated and harmonised inspection procedures. This article is based on results from 32,206 PSC inspections carried out by the European Union and European Free Trade Association Member States within the Paris MoU region from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2015 to assess whether discrepancies among Member States exist after the entry into force of Directive 2009/16/EC and the introduction of the New Inspection Regime. Further, the study proceeds by investigating whether PSC team composition and inspector’s background influence inspection outcomes. The study has identified that differences in detecting at least one deficiency and/or detaining a vessel are significant among Member States. With regard to team composition and background, it appears that the former correlates to the number of deficiencies and detentions and the latter, though the significance is not always consistent, to detecting a certain type of deficiencies according to the specific inspector’s backgrounds. |
| Keywords: | Port state control,inspection outcome |
| Date: | 2017–11–30 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-01649418&r=tre |
| By: | Emanuele Bracco |
| Abstract: | With data from 1998 to 2015, we find evidence that before elections Italian mayors issue fewer tickets and collect a lower proportion of issued fines. This provides evidence that mayors strategically use both tax setting and collection to affect elections. |
| Keywords: | Political Budget Cycle, parking tickets, tax collection |
| JEL: | D72 H26 H71 |
| Date: | 2017 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lan:wpaper:209919534&r=tre |
| By: | Raphaël Homayoun Boroumand (ESG Research Lab - ESG Management School); Stéphane Goutte (LED - Université Paris 8); Thomas Péran (Paris School of Business); Thomas Porcher (Paris School of Business) |
| Date: | 2017–11–22 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-01644639&r=tre |