Taking a global approach, this insightful Handbook brings together leading researchers to provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in railway regulation with a particular focus on countries that rely heavily on railways for transportation links, such as Japan, India and France.

Despite numerous liberalisation attempts in recent years, the railway sector is still excessively complex, with regulations varying throughout the world. The Handbook on Railway Regulation gathers, for the first time, these various approaches and practices, using a historical and systematic approach to identify the main lessons for all countries. The Handbook also considers the most pressing issues for those working in and with railway systems, and outlines future trends in the development of global rail. Specific topics covered include the digitalization dilemma in the industry, rail sector reforms and regulation, and competition in the market for rail freight and passenger services.

This Handbook provides an invaluable contribution to the discussion of railway regulation worldwide, and will be a crucial compendium for students and scholars of transportation, regulation and competition looking to explore different approaches to the topic. This will also be an invaluable read for railway policymakers and regulators looking to deepen their understanding of contemporary regulations around the world.

About the Author
Edited by Matthias Finger, Professor Emeritus, Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne, Switzerland and Professor, Istanbul Technical University (ITUE), Turkey and Juan Montero, National University of Distance Education, Spain and Professor, Florence School of Regulation, European University Institute, Italy

Reviews
'This book is for those who appreciate the role of railways in transport and in reaching broader public objectives. It is a well-developed and well-written compendium of 14 country-specific rail sector analyses combined with nine topic-oriented discussions covering the tradeoffs between structure, competition objectives, and the scope and powers of regulation. The Handbook does a good job of presenting the experience and near-term prospects of an extremely complex set of issues.' -- Lou Thompson, Journal of the Transportation Research Forum
'This collection of original papers takes a genuinely international look at the economic regulation of railways. It covers all forms of rail operations (freight, passenger, and local) and a diversity of regulatory regimes, as well as having a substantial geographical coverage. The editors have managed to entice a cornucopia of experts from around the world to contribute. The volume is timely. Railways over the last 50 years have seen economic regulatory adjustments that have affected their ownership, operations, methods of finance, and investment priorities. While one can easily find a common thread in many of these changes, the overriding emphasis has been on more reliance on market forces and lighter interventions by governments, there are considerable national variations in the instruments deployed and the outcomes that have emerged. This volume allows experts to keep abreast of events and thinking in the rail regulatory world and offers newcomers an almost encyclopedic account of the practical and intellectual challenges involved.'
--Kenneth Button, George Mason University, US

'A great resource for politicians, managers, competition lawyers and economists, seeking an overview of the implemented regulatory frameworks within the railway sector in Europe and beyond.'
--Frank Miram, Deutsche Bahn AG



Book Information
ISBN 9781789901771
Author Matthias Finger
Format Hardback
Page Count 416
Imprint Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Publisher Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd