This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

The Impact of Privatisation on the Efficiency of Train Operation in Britain

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Luisa Affuso
Alvaro Angeriz
Michael Pollitt

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

Twenty-five train operating companies (TOCs) were created between 1994-1997, as part of the restructuring process of the railway industry in Great Britain. The TOCs operate monopoly franchises for the provision of passenger rail services over certain routes - some of which continue to receive government subsidies. This paper investigates how the efficiency of these train operating companies evolved prior to the October 2000 Hatfield crash (which caused significant disruption to the network) using data envelopment analysis and stochastic frontier analysis. Our data allows us to look at the relative efficiency and productivity through the privatisation, to control the efficiency scores for environmental data and to correlate these results with safety and quality indicators. The analysis sheds some light on the successes and failures of the UK’s most controversial privatisation to date.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://webspace.qmul.ac.uk/pmartins/CGRWP28.pdf
File Format:
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Queen Mary, University of London, School of Business and Management, Centre for Globalisation Research in its series Working Papers with number 28.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: Apr 2009
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:cgs:wpaper:28

Contact details of provider:
Web page: http://www.busman.qmul.ac.uk/cgr/cgrindex.html
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Pedro S Martins).

Related research
Keywords: Railways; Comparative Efficiency; Data Envelopment Analysis; Stochastic Frontier Analyisis; Malmquist Productivity Index; Train Operating Companies; Privatisation;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
L52 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Industrial Policy; Sectoral Planning Methods
L92 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Railroads and Other Surface Transportation
M21 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting - - Business Economics - - - Business Economics
M48 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting - - Accounting - - - Government Policy and Regulation

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Michael G. Pollitt & Andrew S. J. Smith, 2002. "The restructuring and privatisation of British Rail: was it really that bad?," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 23(4), pages 463-502, December.
    Other versions:
  2. Oum, Tae H. & Tretheway, Michael W. & Waters, W. G., 1992. "Concepts, methods and purposes of productivity measurement in transportation," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 493-505, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Fare, Rolf & Knox Lovell, C. A., 1978. "Measuring the technical efficiency of production," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 150-162, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Greene, William, 2005. "Reconsidering heterogeneity in panel data estimators of the stochastic frontier model," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 126(2), pages 269-303, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Wilson, Wesley W, 1997. "Cost Savings and Productivity in the Railroad Industry," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 21-40, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Pedro Cantos & José Pastor & Lorenzo Serrano, 1999. "Productivity, efficiency and technical change in the European railways: A non-parametric approach," Transportation, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 337-357, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Caves, Douglas W & Christensen, Laurits R, 1980. "The Relative Efficiency of Public and Private Firms in a Competitive Environment: The Case of Canadian Railroads," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 88(5), pages 958-76, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Battese, G E & Coelli, T J, 1995. "A Model for Technical Inefficiency Effects in a Stochastic Frontier Production Function for Panel Data," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 325-32.
  9. Andrikopoulos, Andreas A & Loizides, John, 1998. "Cost Structure and Productivity Growth in European Railway Systems," Applied Economics, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 30(12), pages 1625-39, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  10. Perelman, Sergio & Pestieau, Pierre, 1988. "Technical performance in public enterprises : A comparative study of railways and postal services," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(2-3), pages 432-441, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Cowie, Jonathan & Riddington, Geoff, 1996. "Measuring the Efficiency of European Railways," Applied Economics, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 28(8), pages 1027-35, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? Cannot find something on IDEAS? Encourage the publisher to index it! Instructions.

This page was last updated on 2009-10-27.


This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.