Competitive Tendering of Rail Services

This publication describes how competitive tendering provides a way of introducing competition to railways while preserving an integrated network of services. It has been used for freight railways in some countries but it is particularly attractive for passenger networks when subsidized services make competition between trains serving the same routes difficult or impossible to organize. Governments promote competition in railways to reduce costs, not least to the tax payer, and to improve levels of service to customers. Concessions are also designed to bring much needed private capital into the rail industry. The success of competitive tendering in achieving these outcomes depends critically on the way risks are assigned between the government and private train operators. It also depends on the transparency and durability of the regulatory framework established to protect both the public interest and the interests of concession holders, and on the incentives created by franchise agreements. This report examines experience to date from around the world in competitively tendering rail services. It seeks to draw lessons for effective design of concessions and regulation from both the successful and less successful cases examined. The work is based on detailed examinations by leading experts of the experience of passenger rail concessions in the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. It also draws on examples of freight rail concessions in Latin America.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9282101436
• Corporate Authors:

  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

  2, rue André Pascal
  Paris,   France  75775 Paris Cedex 16
• Publication Date: 2007

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 229p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Competition; Concessions; Customer service; Decentralization; Freight traffic; Freight transportation; Level of service; Passenger transportation; Policy; Rail transit; Railroad transportation; Railroads; Subsidies; Tenders
• Identifier Terms: European Union
• Geographic Terms: Australia; Germany; Netherlands; Sweden; United Kingdom
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Economics; Freight Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management; Passenger Transportation; Policy; Public Transportation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01080693
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9282101436
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Nov 15 2007 10:32AM