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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Iimi,Atsushi; Humphreys,Richard Martin; Mchomvu,Yonas Eliesikia |
| 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. |
| Keywords: | Transport Economics Policy&Planning |
| Date: | 2017–08–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:8174&r=tre |
| By: | Clemens Pfurtscheller (Regional Firebrigade Association of Vorarlberg, Natural hazards prevention and disaster management); Elisabetta Genovese (IRCrES-CNR, Italy) |
| Abstract: | The Felbertauern landslide of May 2013 caused the total destruction of approximately 100 meters of road including an avalanche gallery, generating traffic disruption and several direct and indirect impacts on the regional economy. The Felbertauern Road, an important traffic artery for the whole NUTS-3 region East-Tyrol (Austria), was totally blocked for several weeks. Shortly after the event, regional decision makers sought to estimate the regional-economic impacts of the road blockage, in order to determine whether reopening the road or building an alternative route would be more economically feasible. This economic analysis was carried out using scattered information two weeks after the incident. The analysis is based on a three-month interruption scenario, though the road blockage was finally two months. Due to the fact that, shortly after the event, no up-to-date data on regional-economics at helpful scales was available, we calculated impacts on tourism by analysing overnight stays, additional transportation costs and time losses for the local companies. Using these numbers, a cost-benefit-analysis was then carried out for a projected bypass, a mid-term 1.5 kilometre long route as an alternative to the destroyed road. Finally, the impacts on the local companies were severe, due to additional transportation costs of approx. € 760,000 to 1.4 million. The impacts on regional tourism were calculated at € 7.7 to 8.6 million. This study demonstrates the strong impact of traffic disruption on a regional economy and describes the importance of cost-benefit analysis for policy making in order to get rapid decisions and to prevent large economic losses. |
| Date: | 2018–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:srt:wpaper:0218&r=tre |
| By: | Fretz, Stephan; Parchet, Raphaël; Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric |
| Abstract: | We design a spatial model featuring workers embodied with heterogeneous skills. In equilibrium, locations with improved market access become relatively more attractive to the high-skilled, high-income earners. We then empirically analyze the effects of the construction of the Swiss highway network between 1960 and 2010 on the distribution of income at the local level, as well as on employment and commuting by education level. We find that the advent of a new highway access within 10km led to a long-term 19%-increase of the share of high-income taxpayers and a 6%-decrease of the share of low-income taxpayers. Results are similar for employment data decomposed by education level, as well as for in- and outcommuters. Highways also contributed to job and residential urban sprawl |
| Keywords: | transportation; highway; market access; income sorting |
| JEL: | D31 H54 O18 R11 R23 |
| Date: | 2017–11–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:86575&r=tre |
| By: | ARNOLD, Florian; SÖRENSEN, Kenneth |
| Abstract: | In this paper we develop a heuristic for the capacitated vehicle routing problem that revolves around three complementary local search operators, embedded in a guided local search framework. The efficiency of the operators is guaranteed by using knowledge, obtained through data mining, on the attributes of undesirable edges. In spite of its straightforward design and the fact that it is completely deterministic, the heuristic is competitive with the best heuristics in the literature in terms of accuracy and speed. Moreover, it can be readily extended to solve a wide range of vehicle routing problems, which we demonstrate by applying it to the multi-depot vehicle routing problem. |
| Keywords: | Vehicle routing problems, Heuristics, Metaheuristics |
| Date: | 2017–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ant:wpaper:2017012&r=tre |
| By: | Esteban Jaimovich (University of Surrey) |
| Abstract: | We propose a model where the internal transport network facilitates the sourcing of intermediate goods from di¤erent locations. E¢ cient internal transportation promotes thus the growth of industries that rely on a large variety of inputs. The model shows that heterogeneities in internal transport infrastructures can become a key factor in shaping comparative advantage and specialisation. Moreover, when su¢ ciently pronounced, such heterogeneities may even overshadow more traditional sources of specialisation based on factor productivities. Evidence based on industry-level trade data grants support to the main prediction of the model: countries with denser road networks export relatively more in industries that exhibit wider input bases. We show that this correlation is robust to several possible confounding e¤ects proposed by the literature, such as the impact of institutions on specialisation in complex goods. Furthermore, we show that a similar correlation also arises when the density of the local transport network is measured by the density of their internal waterways, rather than by roadway density. |
| JEL: | F11 O18 R12 |
| Date: | 2018–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sur:surrec:0118&r=tre |
| By: | Marie Delaplace (LAB'URBA - LAB'URBA - UPEM - Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée - UPEC UP12 - Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12) |
| Abstract: | In January 2016, 35,000 km of high-speed lines were planned worldwide for completion by 2050. Governments have sometimes to choose between different projects. If cost-benefit analysis is the most widely used tool to evaluate the effects of different projects, it seems to be inappropriate for evaluating the wider effects. Using service innovation theories, this paper shows that these wider effects in cities are difficult to evaluate ex ante because they are coproduced in space and time. |
| Date: | 2017 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01622986&r=tre |
| By: | Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the question of why so many African firms are uncompetitive on the global stage. An integrated framework of firm-level and external factors was developed. This paper focuses primarily on the global airline industry and offers an array of external factors including slow implementation of the Yamoussoukro Declaration and protection of state-owned airlines, which have historically distorted the nature of competition and hampered the exposure of many airlines to “genuine” or fair competition. When shielded from competition, such firms’ ability to transition to the global stage and outwit rivals is hampered. Furthermore, the study indicates that internal factors such as limited economies of scale and poor quality of services have affected some of the firms’ ability to compete. With the notable of exception of airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways and Kenya Airways, the preponderance of airlines have struggled to compete. These factors help to account for the fact that African airlines equate to only 20% of all air traffic on inter-African routes. The implications of the findings are examined. |
| Keywords: | Airlines; Africa; Africa’s Competitiveness |
| JEL: | L1 L2 L5 |
| Date: | 2018 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:83933&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: | Depuis le début du XXIè siècle, la volonté de développer les infrastructures de transport demeure forte du côté des responsables politiques. Pourtant de nombreux facteurs, environnementaux, financiers ou sociaux, ont conduit à une obsolescence évidente des anciennes logiques de programmation. Mais la refonte des procédures prend du temps, tout comme l’acceptation d’objectifs intégrant les nouvelles contraintes liées à une rareté croissante des fonds publics. Pour cette raison, les politiques publiques tâtonnent. La transition vers un nouvel âge de la programmation et du financement n’est pas achevée. Dans quelle mesure les orientations fixées à l’été 2017 par le nouveau gouvernement pourront-elles aider à l’émergence d’un nouveau modèle français de programmation et de financement des infrastructures ? Un modèle qui cessera de privilégier les nouveaux projets pour se concentrer sur l’entretien et la modernisation des réseaux existants. |
| Keywords: | financement des infrastructures,infrastructure de transport,investissements d'infrastructure,politique de transport,France |
| Date: | 2017 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-01653587&r=tre |