Quantification of the non-transport benefits resulting from rail investment

David Banister and Mark Thurstain-Goodwin

Journal of Transport Geography, 2011, vol. 19, issue 2, 212-223

Abstract: Traditional methods of evaluation have not been very successful in accounting for non-transport benefits resulting from rail investments. But increasingly, these factors are becoming more important in well-developed transport networks, as the effects of additional links or capacity cannot be justified in transport terms alone. This paper brings together the evidence at three separate levels arguing that there are different impacts that must be investigated at different levels with appropriate methods. At the macroeconomic level, regional network effects can be identified, as can the impacts on the economy as measured through changes in output and productivity. At the meso level, the impacts relate more to agglomeration economies and labour market effects, with some additional network and environmental consequences. At the micro level, the impacts are determined by the land and property market effects. Examples of rail investment are given for each of the scales of analysis, and conclusions are drawn on the future directions and challenges for the quantification of both transport and non-transport benefits.

Keywords: Non-transport benefits; Evaluation; Macroeconomic effects; Agglomeration economies; Property market effects; Rail investment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (40)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:19:y:2011:i:2:p:212-223

DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2010.05.001

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