Report Of The Fourteenth Round Table On Transport Economics Held In Paris On The Following Topic

This Round Table examined the efficient participation of railways in the market economy.

To mark its hundredth Round Table on transport economics, the ECMT decided to publish a special issue. Fifty European experts were asked to submit papers examining not only the major issues addressed by transport economics in the past, but also those that are likely to emerge in the future.

International specialists at Round Table 78 compare notes on such vital telematics issues as: the strategies adopted in the sector; forms of standardization called for; productivity gains and the obstacles involved.

Although deregulation is well under way in the transport sector, regular coach services are still largely regulated. Governments see them as potentially competing with rail transport services. However, in countries that have had some experience with deregulation the outcome has clearly been positive (except for local short-distance services). The Round Table began with a review of regular interurban coach services based on case studies in countries which had adopted an original approach. This report shows the industry in a totally new light. One of its main findings is that there is a specific market for customers that have no other means of transport. Opening up this market would benefit the most economically disadvantaged sectors of the population. But that is not the only lesson to be learned from this Round Table.