Title: Benchmarking global railway freight transportation efficiency during the period of 1980-2004

Authors: Olli-Pekka Hilmola

Addresses: Kouvola Research Unit, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Prikaatintie 9, FIN-45100 Kouvola, Finland

Abstract: In transportation studies, global consensus has been reached that railways should replace road transportation in the freight market on a large-scale if the greenhouse effect is to be reduced in the forthcoming decades. However, we know relatively little about the current efficiency situation in railway freight on a global scale and whether it has been able to improve its performance during recent decades. This research uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to reveal efficiency development in this sector. Research results show that certain countries/regions, like North America, China, Russia, Israel and Baltic States, are showing impressive frontier performance, but the railway freight sector has not been able to improve its efficiency performance during the past decades and efficiency is mostly confined to a small number of countries.

Keywords: railways; freight transport; efficiency performance; data envelopment analysis; DEA; railway freight.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTL.2009.027678

International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics, 2009 Vol.1 No.4, pp.311 - 328

Published online: 07 Aug 2009 *

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