Transport Papers

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Making a Small Market Thrive : Recommendations for Efficiency Gains in the Latin American Air Cargo Market
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-03) Serebrisky, Tomás; Schwartz, Jordan; Pachón, María Claudia; Ricover, Andrés
Air cargo origin destination flows in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region are heavily concentrated in the largest economies of South America and Mexico. With 32.7 percent of the airfreight moved to, from, and within the region, Brazil is the largest cargo market, followed by Colombia and Mexico, with 17.9 percent and 16.0 percent, respectively. The relatively small size of the air cargo market in LAC can be explained by: (i) low levels of demand for air cargo services (supply responds adequately to a low demand for air cargo services in/from LAC), or (ii) restrictions to a properly functioning market that impede the air cargo market to reach its full potential. The analysis carried out for the preparation of this paper indicates that the low levels of demand is the most reasonable explanation for the small size of the LAC air cargo market. There is room to improve some regulations which would make the air cargo market work more efficiently and probably at lower costs, but the size and diversity of the market will not significantly change as a result. Airport infrastructure quality fairs well overall, although some isolated issues exist in certain airports in LAC. Infrastructure limitations were evaluated through a survey conducted by an association of LAC airlines (ALTA). The results of the survey show that even the worst rated airports received an acceptable score in absolute terms. Policies aimed at reducing operating costs and related to soft constraints should also be implemented paperless customs procedures, improved security in airport premises and streamlining of custom inspection processes.
A Review of Highway Agencies in the South Asia Region
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011) Rohatgi, Rajesh; Bandyopadhyay, Arnab; Gupta, D.P.
Explosive growth in demand for passenger and freight transport in the South Asia region, driven by high economic growth, has put the spotlight squarely on ensuring enhanced delivery of infrastructure and services. The objective of the study is to help governments and policy makers in identifying reforms that are required to modernize and strengthen the capacity and performance of their road agencies to deliver large investment programs through performance monitoring as a tool. A review of the highway agencies in the region has been undertaken to suggest: a) indicators to assess their capacities and performance; and b) a roadmap to improve performance in key functional areas of the agencies. The scope of study included a review of a sample of highway agencies from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This sample included national and provincial level highway agencies as well as road corporations. In India, the focus was on the state-level highway agencies. This study also incorporates findings from earlier studies commissioned by the World Bank.
Private Participation in the Road Sector in Brazil : Recent Evolution and Next Steps
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2010-03) Véron, Adrien; Cellier, Jacques
Today, Brazil has the second longest highway network under private concessions in the world. This paper analyzes Brazil's experience under the two first phases of the federal road concession program, and highlights some of the program's strengths and areas for further development. Despite the unfolding world financial and economic crisis, the potential for further private participation in the sector appears very good. This paper essentially argues that it may be time for Brazil to revamp its current models for private participation in the sector, which may soon reach their limit in terms of being able to meet efficiently the needs of a growing economy. In summary, Brazil could: 1) diversify its toll road model to allow for more innovative public-private partnership structures; 2) update its toll regulatory and contractual framework to overcome some of the design problems that have led to relatively inefficient tolling; 3) consolidate the institutional framework for road concessions to give a stabilized basis for further developments; 4) develop a policy framework adapted to the current Brazilian environment, taking into account the need to ensure harmonized levels of service and tolls across the country; and 5) adapt the sector financing framework to the rising capacity of private markets.
Air Freight : A Market Study with Implications for Landlocked Countries
(Washington, DC, 2009-08) World Bank
To facilitate air freight, landlocked countries need to improve operations at their airports and liberalize access for foreign airlines. But until those countries become major exporters, it is unlikely that scheduled air cargo operators will have significant operations. Instead, most air cargo will move as belly cargo on passenger airlines, with some complementary use of chartered air freighters during shipment peaks. Landlocked countries should therefore provide greater access to foreign passenger airlines.
Road User Charges : Current Practice and Perspectives in Central and Eastern Europe
(2008-11-01) Queiroz, Cesar; Rdzanowska, Barbara; Garbarczyk, Robert; Audige, Michel
This paper covers the most commonly used means to charge road users, including fuel taxes, vehicle taxes, vignettes and tolls. It presents a brief survey of road user charging systems in selected European countries and a more detailed overview of current status and perspectives of road user charges in Poland. Consideration is also given to private financing of roads through different forms of public-private partnerships (PPP), including a review of potential applications of the World Bank toolkit for PPP in highways as an instrument to help decision makers and practitioners to define the best PPP approach for a specific country.
Launching Public Private Partnerships for Highways in Transition Economies
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2005-09) Queiroz, Cesar
In many countries the private sector has been involved in financing infrastructure through concessions under a public-private partnership (PPP) program. PPP schemes, however, are somewhat underutilized in transition economies, where the potential financing gaps are significant and growing, and there seems to be an enormous potential for more private sector involvement in the financing and operation of highway assets in these countries. Institutions such as the World Bank can contribute to enhance private financing of road infrastructure through greater use of their guarantee power, in addition to supporting, when required, the public sector contribution to the construction cost of a PPP project through loans. Partial risk guarantees are particularly relevant in the context of seeking more private involvement in the financing of road infrastructure. This paper reviews potential applications of partial risk guarantees, the required legal framework (for example, concession law) for attracting private capital for PPP schemes, possible steps for a country to launch a program of private participation in highways, the concept of greenfield and road maintenance concession programs, and the treatment of unsolicited proposals. It also summarizes potential applications of the World Bank Toolkit for PPP in Highways as an instrument to help decision-makers and practitioners to define the best PPP approach for a specific country.
Results of Railway Privatization in Latin America
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2005-09) Sharp, Richard
This paper reviews the performance of railway concessions in Latin America over the period extending from the initial Argentina concessions in 1991-1993 through 2004. The bulk of the concessioning processes described herein were supported by the World Bank. Now over a decade since rail concessioning in Latin America began, the overall assessment of its results is positive, particularly for freight railways. Railway traffic volumes have climbed, with some improvements in surface transport market share. Although numerous data problems exist, measures of productive efficiency almost uniformly show post-concession improvements in cargo transport. Effects on rail rates and service levels have generally received positive reviews. Evidence is less extensive for passenger services, mostly because concessioning was largely limited to commuter services in Argentina and Brazil and because such concessions must be evaluated in terms of complex subsidy and regulated pricing regimes, rather than as market-based private enterprises. Railway concessions have not revived uneconomic intercity passenger services, nor has there been much effort to do so. iii. While concessioning brought impressive improvements in labor productivity and other efficiency measures, results have been not quite as dramatic as they are sometimes portrayed. This is in part because the initial concessions took place in the volatile Argentina economy, where a precipitous decline in the rail sector just prior to concessioning was followed by a dramatic post-concession revival. Elsewhere the decline in the rail sector was not as severe as in Argentina, nor was the recovery so rapid.
Results of Railway Privatization in Australia and New Zealand
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2005-09) Williams, Robert; Greig, David; Wallis, Ian
This paper has been prepared for the World Bank as one of a series of research papers focusing on rail privatization experience throughout the world. The scope of this paper covers rail privatization experience in Australia and New Zealand, much of which occurred over the ten year period from 1993 to 2003. Overall the rail freight privatization experience in Australia and New Zealand, taken in concert with other market and structural reforms, has been positive, although not uniformly so: In Australia, the largely privatized rail freight industry is markedly stronger today than at any time over the last few decades and is competing aggressively for a greater role in the national transport and logistics market; and In New Zealand, the initial success of privatization with increased rail traffic and increased profits has not been sustained: the government has been obliged to take back the network and to commit significant public funds to address deficiencies in the network assets.
Reform, Commercialization and Private Sector Participation in Railways in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2005-01) Amos, Paul
Railway reform in the ECA region provides a mixed picture. Seven countries could reasonably be described as 'high' reformers: Estonia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Poland, Romania and the Slovak Republic. Most of the high and medium reformers have in the last few years adopted new railway laws, adopted more commercial business structures, tried explicitly to address the issue of funding passenger losses, privatized some non-core businesses and encouraged some competition in input (supply) markets. But only Estonia has privatized a core railway transport business while a few other countries (such as Kazakhstan and Romania) have instituted third party rail freight operations for a significant part of the market. Russia is classified as a medium reformer because the reforms are still at an early stage. But given the scale and complexity of the challenge, it will be the most impressive of achievement if the stated policies for private operations and competition can be realized. About ten out of the ECA 27 countries have not yet significantly reformed their railway industries, though two or three of these have plans (but not yet legislation) to do so. Those countries judged as being 'low reformers' are not all poor performers. The business and financial performance of the railways in Ukraine and Azerbaijan, for example, is currently improving although there has been little structural change in the industry. However, some of the railways in this group such as Albania, Macedonia, and Turkey are in dire straits.
Results of Railway Privatization in Africa
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2005-01) Bullock, Richard
This review is designed to assist the development community and policy makers in other countries who may be contemplating railway privatization. The report is principally concerned with the results of privatization rather than the processes or detailed concession structures, which have varied from country to country depending on diverse local circumstances. This report is concerned with the results of the African concessions. The report contains three main sections: (i) A summary of the background to railway development in sub-Saharan Africa to the start of the 1990's, together with a list of the railway privatizations and concessions undertaken over the last 10 years and a brief description of the main concessionaires; (ii) A more detailed presentation of the thirteen concessions, particularly the three which have been operating the longest ; (iii) An assessment of the overall results of railway privatization/concessioning.