PROVISION OF SOCIALLY NECESSARY RAIL SERVICES

In recent years the provision of public service has to be ensured through contracts negotiated between State and rail operators rather than as obligations imposed by the State. Key elements in these contracts will be value for money, efficient provision and explicit and transparent compensation. This paper presents the EC funded project SONERAIL (Fourth Framework), which concerns the role of socially necessary rail services. In particular, this project concerns those railways which under EC regulations 1191/69 and 1893/91 cannot be provided on a commercial basis and may therefore be financially supported by a Member State. A number of specific objectives have been formulated: (1) to define concepts of socially necessary rail services; (2) to develop an evaluation methodology; (3) to apply the evaluation methodology; (4) to identify and examine future scenarios; and (5) to provide recommendations. As such the findings will be of importance in relation to decisions regarding the provision and support to loss-making rail services as part of public service contracts. In particular the developed evaluation methodology can contribute to a better basis to determine the social value of providing a rail service. For the covering abstract see IRRD E104573.

• Record URL:
  http://abstracts.aetransport.org/conference/index/id/5
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0860503208
• Corporate Authors:

  PTRC Education and Research Services Limited

  Glenthorne House, Hammersmith Grove
  London W6OL9,   England 
• Authors:
  • Cole, S
  • O'HIGGINS, T
  • HOLVAD, T
  • Gommers, M
• Conference:
  • OPERATING RAILWAYS FOR TRAFFIC GROWTH AND PROFIT. PROCEEDINGS OF SEMINAR A, AET EUROPEAN TRANSPORT CONFERENCE, 27-29 SEPTEMBER 1999, CAMBRIDGE, UK. VOLUME P429
• Publication Date: 1999-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 115-27

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Carriers; Conferences; Contracts; Costs; Economic efficiency; Evaluation and assessment; Federal government; Financing; Legislation; Methodology; Policy; Public transit; Railroad transportation; Research projects; Sociology
• Identifier Terms: European Union
• Uncontrolled Terms: Efficiency
• ITRD Terms: 8525: Conference; 146: Contract; 224: Cost; 5911: Efficiency; 8303: EU; 9020: Evaluation (assessment); 244: Financing; 183: Government (national); 1556: Legislation; 9102: Method; 173: Policy; 744: Public transport; 1173: Rail bound transport; 8557: Research project; 2253: Sociology; 274: Transport operator
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Finance; Law; Policy; Public Transportation; Railroads; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00790402
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 0-86050-320-8
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Apr 11 2000 12:00AM