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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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      <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Bootstrapping the Malmquist indexes for Italian airports</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2690136</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This paper uses data envelopment analysis to assess the operational performance of 28 Italian airports during the period of 2000 through 2006. Recent developments in bootstrapping techniques are used to correct total factor productivity estimates for bias and to assess the uncertainty surrounding such estimates. This study found that the Italian airport industry experienced a significant technological regress, with few airports achieving an increase in productivity led by improvements in efficiency. Moreover, the paper shows that the form of ownership (public majority vs. private majority) of an airport management company does not significantly affect performance. In contrast, this type of the concession agreement has positive and significant effects on airport productivity. Finally, the paper highlights the existence of a productivity gap between airports located in the North-Central part of the country and those located in the south.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:31:03 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2690136</guid>
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      <title>Road freight privatization, technological progress, and transportation decarbonization: Perspective of platform logistics</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2604614</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Technology shapes organizations, and road freight privatization is considered an organizational change on a social level induced by platform logistics. Meanwhile, the consumer behavior of individual transporters as adopters of trucks may affect technological innovation, known as market-driven innovation. When road freight privatization and technological progress are incorporated into the STIRPAT model to examine their environmental sustainability implications, panel analysis shows that: (i) Road freight privatization reduced both TCE and CEI, which applies equally to light- and heavy-duty trucks. For medium-duty trucks, road freight privatization reduced CEI but had no significant effect on TCE. (ii) There was an inverted U-shaped relationship between technological progress and TCE/CEI, demonstrating a cyclical impact of technological progress on environmental quality. (iii) While road freight privatization interacted with technological progress to reduce both TCE and CEI, it interacted with transport energy structure to increase both TCE and CEI, suggesting that the vehicle purchase decisions of individual transporters are not biased toward electrification in the road freight sector. These results are inconsistent with the government’s assertion that individual transporters-led privatization undermines economies of scale.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2025 16:07:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2604614</guid>
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      <title>Environmental corporate social responsibility and port privatization in a mixed port supply chain competition</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2604722</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study examines environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) in a mixed port supply chain competition, wherein shipping lines, served by public or private ports, offer differentiated services. We explore the strategic interaction between the shipping lines' ECSR under freight rate competition and the government's port privatization policy. We find that adopting ECSR benefits shipping lines served by public ports but harms those served by private ports. This reduces port industry profitability while enhancing environmental and social performance. We also demonstrate that port privatization consistently decreases the ECSR levels of shipping lines served by privatized ports but increases them for those not served by such ports. The overall welfare effect crucially depends on the degree of substitutability between shipping services. Our findings suggest that when shipping services are highly substitutable, privatizing a public port can yield environmentally and socially desirable outcomes, though it may adversely affect the shipping industry and shippers under strategic ECSR conditions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2025 16:07:13 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2604722</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Incentivizing U.S. Airport Privatization</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2589143</link>
      <description><![CDATA[All but one of the commercial airports in the U.S. are government owned. This paper looks at why airports in the U.S. have failed to become privatized or leased as public-private partnerships (P3s), the benefits of privatization, and possible tax reforms that could encourage privatization. The tax law changes discussed relate to the payment of outstanding tax-exempt airport bonds when there is a change in control, and the inclusion of airports in surface transportation tax-exempt private activity bonds (PABs). The paper outlines how long-term P3s might improve U.S. airport performance, how airport privatization could impact financial proceeds, and what the impact would be on federal tax revenue.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:53:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2589143</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>‘Don’t be afraid of the bosses, they should be afraid of us’ – a power resource analysis of a successful union organising on local trains in Sweden</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2608533</link>
      <description><![CDATA[During the 2000s, in Sweden, as in other European countries, the transport sector that once was public owned has been subjected to neoliberal privatisation. The involvement of private actors in public transport entails changes in industrial relations, which have impact in the workplace. In this paper, though a power recourse lens, we discuss a multifaceted labour dispute that occurred 2018 to 2021 between Arriva (now VR Sverige), the private company that runs the regional train service in the Swedish southern region of Skåne, and the local trade union club Klubb Pågatåg, affiliated with the blue-collar trade union federation Seko (Service- och Kommunikationsfacket). Started in conjunction with the negotiations for renewing the local collective agreement initially set for April 2020, the dispute became sharper following the decision of the company to implement a business plan contemplating the redefinition of individual terms of employment for all employees and, later, the attempt to fire the local trade union health and safety representative appointed by Klubb Pågatågwho confronted that decision. By relying on interviews, observations, online material as well as legal documents analysis, we discuss the significance of the 2020–2021 Pågatågand the capacity of a local trade union to successfully engage in a dispute by mobilising associational power resources even against institutional constraints. In line with global trends, our paper shows the strength of logistics workers (broadly conceived) in attempting to change power relations on the labour market through local union organising.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 08:31:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2608533</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Opening the tracks: The impact of rail liberalization on ridership growth in the Czech Republic</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2557033</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Czech Republic has carried out dedicated rail liberalization. Two major lines, Prague–Ostrava and Prague–Brno, were opened for on-track competition and entered by private operators. These entries led to fare declines, frequency increases, and quality improvements. Ridership increased significantly, but it has not been clear what part of the ridership growth has been caused by competition and what part by other factors. The authors used data about Czech rail ridership that consists of 12 long-distance connections from Prague to regional centres. Four were routes with competition and eight were routes operated solely by the incumbent. This design enables differentiation of what part of the ridership increases was caused by competition and what part by other factors. The main result is that after controlling for economic growth and travel-time improvements, ridership on lines with competition grew by 5 % p.a. more than it did on lines without competition.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 11:36:31 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2557033</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Effect of privatizing Japanese expressway companies on maintenance and management efficiency</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2583082</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In 2005, Japan privatized its four public highway corporations, resulting in the establishment of three NEXCO companies. Although these entities remain fully government-owned, future stock exchange listing is envisioned. To inform discussions on this transition, it is essential to analyze the effects of privatization on management efficiency and identify factors influencing efficiency changes. While a certain degree of progress has been observed in achieving the three objectives articulated by the Japanese government at the time of privatization—namely, the steady repayment of interest-bearing debt, the early and inexpensive construction of expressways, and the provision of various services—these initial goals did not encompass maintenance and operation, which have become increasingly important over time. As a result, the impact of privatization on these aspects remains insufficiently examined. This study therefore focuses on existing expressway segments and investigates changes in maintenance and operational efficiency before and after privatization. Using data envelopment analysis (DEA), the authors evaluate efficiency based on indicators such as management costs and toll revenue, comparing performance in the pre-privatization period, immediately after privatization, and 14 years later. The results indicate that network-wide efficiency showed little change immediately after privatization. However, route-level analysis reveals a decline in efficiency over time. These findings suggest that privatization, even in the form of a joint stock company, may have limited capacity to enhance long-term management efficiency in expressway operations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2025 08:49:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2583082</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Options for Outsourcing Outdoor Advertising Control in Texas</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2571786</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To preserve the scenic value and attractiveness of state-maintained highways, Texas regulates the placement and dimensions of outdoor advertisements. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) administers and enforces these regulations except in certain cities that have been delegated to assume these responsibilities. The Department is interested, however, in the options for outsourcing some of its responsibilities to the private sector. The researchers evaluated several of these options and concluded that outdoor advertising control is an activity suitable for outsourcing. The basic option, to outsource only the taking of sign inventory, would have an annual cost to TxDOT of at least $178,000 and possibly as much as $476,000. Outsourcing the responsibility for evaluating permit applications for new signs would add between $79,000 and $149,000 to this cost. Other options that were suggested for TxDOT’s consideration include measures to increase enforcement on rural roads.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 10:41:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2571786</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Modeling airport networks for theoretical policy analyses</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2548153</link>
      <description><![CDATA[More than in almost any other transport industry, air transport is globally connected. This paper provides an overview over theoretical studies considering network structures involving two or more airports. Beyond conveying study results, the goal is to offer guidance on how to theoretically cover and analyze specific issues in the most effective way. Effectiveness is measured in terms of the complexity needed to address the specific issues. The selected issues discussed in this paper include ownership structures and privatization, congestion, beggar-thy-neighbor, and competition. The authors demonstrate that the analysis of these issues requires networks of different sizes and structures. The authors measure the airport size by the number of airports involved. The authors determine the network structure by (i) the number of regions and by distinguishing between regions which are just passively present or actively involved in policy making, and (ii) the involvement of local and non-local passengers.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2025 16:38:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2548153</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The effect of private investment on landlord port authorities’ cost efficiency: The Spanish case</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2554433</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This article examines the impact of private investments in port facilities and equipment on the cost efficiency of Spanish port authorities operating under the landlord model. Using panel data from 26 Spanish port authorities between 2001 and 2018, the authors estimate a short-run variable cost frontier based on Wang’s (2002) normal-truncated normal stochastic frontier model. This method allows the cost inefficiency component to depend on exogenous covariates, including private investment, traffic concentration, and port reforms. The findings indicate that higher private investment and traffic concentration are associated with lower cost inefficiency. However, the efficiency gains from private investment have diminished since the enactment of Law 33/2010, with diminishing marginal returns at higher investment levels.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2025 16:33:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2554433</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evolution of the Airport Industry and Regional Growth in the Pacific Alliance Member Countries</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2549020</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study examines the relationship between airports and regional economic growth, and explores the extent to which airport privatization and commercialization have influenced air traffic growth within Pacific Alliance countries. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset comprising 86 airports across Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru from 2006 to 2019, the authors employed Granger causality tests, Vector Autoregression (VAR), and Instrumental Variables (IV) with Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) models. The findings reveal that privatization and commercialization significantly enhance airport traffic, which, in turn, promotes regional economic growth. Furthermore, the authors identified a bidirectional causal relationship between airport traffic and economic growth in Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. However, no evidence of such causality was observed in Chile.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 05 Jun 2025 13:31:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2549020</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Privatising profits and socialising losses: The effects of liberalisation on the incumbent high-speed rail operator in Spain</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2517640</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This paper investigates the destiny of high-speed rail (HSR) operations as rail liberalisation challenges the cross-subsidy single rail operators established between profitable and non-profitable routes when they monopolised the whole HSR network. When an incumbent HSR operator has to share the cake with newcomers, the resulting decline in revenues and profits may limit the effectiveness of the relevant cross-subsidies. The authors analyse such scenarios through the case of Spain, in which the state-owned incumbent rail company, Renfe, faces increasing competition in its more lucrative HSR corridors. Scenarios suggest that with only a 30 % drop in ticket sales in the northeastern HSR corridor, the financial balance of Renfe's HSR commercial operations becomes negative. This means that beyond the profits made by new entrants in one or two specific corridors, the outcomes for non-profitable corridors will be quite different: public authorities will have to cover losses and/or Renfe will have to increase ticket prices and/or the frequencies of HSR services will have to be cut. Travellers on the most profitable HSR routes will enjoy greater frequency of services and lower fares, while those on other HSR routes could experience less frequency and higher fares. In geographical terms, rail liberalisation applied to HSR operations may thus have very heterogeneous effects and reinforce spatial inequalities between regions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 31 Mar 2025 08:58:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2517640</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Optimizing ocean gateways: an empirical study of port privatization and its effects on the performance of the Indian major ports</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2494899</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study provides an in-depth examination of the policy shift towards seaport privatization in India, evaluating its repercussions on key performance metrics over the past 25 years. Beginning in 1997, the government embarked on 32 public–private partnership (PPP) projects leading to the privatization of 55 berths across the nation’s major ports. Utilizing the cross-sectional berth-level data from 2020 and 2021, the study reveals a compelling pattern of decreased berth occupancy coupled with increased utilization. Later, using the panel port-level data, this research probes more directly into the operational and administrative performance indicators, encompassing Average Turnaround Time (Avg. TRT), Average Pre-Berthing Delay (Avg. PBD), Average Output per Berth Shift Day (Avg. OBSD), profits, and manpower. The paper utilizes regression analysis to study the above. The empirical findings suggest that each subsequent PPP project incrementally reduced Avg. TRT, Avg. PBD, and manpower, while simultaneously enhancing Avg. OBSD and overall profits. The research emphatically concludes that port privatization has been instrumental in bolstering operational efficiency, augmenting profitability, and promoting effective workforce optimization. These conclusions bear significant implications for economists and maritime researchers interested in understanding the impacts of shifts in ownership structures on performance.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Mar 2025 16:37:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2494899</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Concessioning, Privatization and Restructuring of Railways in China</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2264122</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Within the past 10 years, railway concessioning of formerly government-operated railways has emerged as a strong global trend in order to improve operating efficiency as well as a means to generate private capital for their construction. This trend is strongly supported by the World Bank and other international lending institutions. The concept of privatization and commercialization of railway management and construction has a long history in China. Though coupled with significant political consequences, foreign capital enabled construction of many thousands of kilometers of new railway line when it was desperately needed. During later years of railway development, private capital continued to finance the construction of local railways, supporting the primary MOR rail network. In the future, this concept of efficient railway management and cost-based pricing concepts will form a basis for restructuring of the entire MOR system, resulting in the increased efficiency of the country's strategically important railway network.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 Jan 2025 16:59:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2264122</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Airport incentive regulation in practice</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2364705</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This paper examines the complexities of incentive regulation in the context of airport privatization, asymmetric information, and regulatory weakness in a developing country. Using hybrid Dual-Till revenue cap variations of thirty-four concessioned airports in Mexico for the period 2006–2019, the authors distinguish within and between regulated period effects on productive efficiency. The findings reveal a dual nature of variations: negative shifts within regulated periods are linked to heightened productive efficiency, whereas positive shifts between regulated periods, particularly during the resetting of caps, arise when projected demand falls short of covering allowed operational and capital expenditures. This discrepancy leads to a decline in productive efficiency. The analysis highlights discernible weaknesses in the regulatory framework such as homogenous expectations of efficiency gains across all airports within regulated periods. Furthermore, strategic behavior by airports emerges, as they opt to defer efficiency enhancements to the initial year of any given regulated period. The authors discuss regulatory levers to improve the quality of regulation.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 08:35:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2364705</guid>
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