NTL Record

Title Efficient access pricing for rail bottlenecks
Record ID 12697
Personal Name
Creator
Beshers, Eric
Corporate
Contributor
John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration
Publication Date 20000600
Language English
Abstract This study, which is posted online, was undertaken at the request of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), specifically the Office of the Associate Administrator for Policy and Program Development. The FRA Policy Office asked for a review of some of the key questions surrounding the issue of railroad access prices. Access price is to be understood here as the price asked by a railroad that owns a particular segment of track for access to, and use of, that segment of track by some other railroad. The background for this work is public discussion of possible changes in the Staggers Rail Act of 1980. Much of this discussion focuses on the question of access to so- called bottlenecks. Some facilities that either originate or receive rail traffic are served by a single railroad, although another railroad is able to carry that traffic for part of its through movement. It is argued that, if that other railroad could obtain access to such a facility, the railroad customer in question would obtain the benefits of enhanced competition: lower prices and/or better service. In order to address the issue of access it is necessary to address the price of access. Access pricing raises issues distinct from those regarding the rates railroads charge their usual customers. When one railroad sells access to its tracks to another railroad, it is not just selling the use of its facilities to a firm that wants to provide rail service. It is selling the use of its facilities to a competitor. (42 p.)
Rosap ID dot:8440
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/8440
TRT Terms Bottlenecks; Accessibility; Railroads; Railroad tracks; Pricing; Market share; Competition; Regulatory constraints
General Subjects Access price; ECPR; Efficient component pricing rule; M-ECPR; Market-determined efficient component pricing rule; TELRIC; Total element long-run incremental cost
Classification NTL - RAIL TRANSPORTATION - RAIL TRANSPORTATION;
NTL - RAIL TRANSPORTATION - Rail Economics and Finance;
NTL - RAIL TRANSPORTATION - Rail Laws and Regulations;
NTL - RAIL TRANSPORTATION - Rail Planning and Policy
Geographical
Coverage
United States
TRIS Online
Accession No
797546
Availability Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center
Resource type Research Paper
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/12000/12600/12697/ecpr.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository