A review of cost–benefit analysis and multicriteria decision analysis from the perspective of sustainable transport in project evaluation

Uncertainties Influencing Transportation System Performances

The design and operation of transportation systems, as with any large complex technical system, are marked by indetermination—risks and uncertainties (scientific/methodologic and/or socio-economic). This paper analyzes the occurrence and consequences of uncertainties, defined as completely unknown random events (“unknown unknowns”), on transportation system performances. Interest in the topic is justified by the considerable value and long life of transportation system components. In order to reduce the effects of uncertainties, a holistic approach to all technical infrastructures in society, regardless of the flow category (material, energy, information), is necessary. Technological progress and changes in territorial activity systems historically confirm the dynamism of the competition and complementarity relations between civil and industrial infrastructures and transport infrastructures, as well as among different modal transport/traffic infrastructures. Declining discount rates are applied to compensate for the effects of uncertainties on investment project opportunities on long time horizons. There is no unanimous agreement on the discount rate values. Unforeseen exogenous events are considered differentiated/non-systemic or undifferentiated/systemic uncertainties. They can have significant consequences on the performance of a transport system, including a change in the transport market share. Therefore, an adaptive policy is required to reduce the methodological/scientific and socio-economic uncertainties that affect the design and operation of any transportation system.

Multi-Dimensional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Prioritizing Railway Station Investments: A General Framework with an Application to the Italian Case Study

In recent years, several authors have highlighted the merits of the Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA), e.g., compared to Cost-Benefits Analysis (CBA), particularly for small projects appraisal (e.g., revamping or extraordinary maintenance interventions) and when the impacts of the project are difficult to value or quantify in monetary terms. CEA is a quite consolidated technique, typically applied in practice when one specific impact prevails over the others. This research extends the concept of CEA to a multi-dimensional decision-making context, outlining a methodological framework that includes several criteria to assess the impacts of railway station revamping in urban contexts. The proposed method has already been applied for the project appraisals of five railway stations in Italy; this paper presents the application to a case study representing the typical configuration of a medium-sized Italian railway station. Results have shown that the proposed approach is a valid tool for both designers and infrastructure managers for prioritizing railway station investments in the presence of multiple strategic objectives that also conflict with each other. A multi-dimensional CEA can provide, in a communicative, lean, and effective way, the information on investment costs and the impacts that different policies, layouts, and technological solutions would have, creating the basis for a more transparent debate on resource allocation priorities. Finally, results have shown that the CEA is not only a method for project assessment, but also a tool for improving and directing the design towards the identification of interventions that allow the achievement of the key objectives set ex ante.

Measuring Customer Reservation Price for Maintenance, Repair and Operations of the Metro Public Transport System in Qatar

Getting to know the price that users assign to maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) has arisen as an essential consideration in gathering financial sustainability for metro public transport systems. The current research reveals customer reservation price for MRO in the main metro stations in Qatar. The purpose of the present work is to assess the willingness to pay for MRO services in eight metro stations in Doha in order to have a better understanding of user preferences. Qualitative research was carried out employing primary and secondary source of information. Primary data was collected by means of a mixture of data accumulation approaches: key informant meetings and focus-group conversations. Secondary data was collected from the account books, contracts, recordings of trans-actions, statements of work and activity reports given by the local rail committees. A stated preference investigation was applied through open text format questions to more than 1000 customers, and a Poisson regression model was used to evaluate the considerations affecting every higher value. Outputs reveal normal customer reservation prices per month and per train journey. The results also indicate a significant willingness to pay differential among the studied railway stations. The study of the decisive considerations elicits that the degree to which the MRO service can exclude paying consumers, the attending of rail conferences and the possibility of using another rail station are related with the customer reservation price. The outputs of this research are significant for railway public authorities willing to set up reasonable, adequate and realistic fares that support fund competent railway systems in Qatar.