Financing European transport infrastructure : policies and practices in Western Europe

Financing European Transport Infrastructure examines organisational arrangements for planning and financing transport infrastructure in Western Europe. It covers all modes of transport - road, rail, sea, air, urban, and inland waterways - and asks why their financing arrangements are so different. It looks at the division of responsibilities between central and local government, and the growing role of autonomous public bodies, the European Commission and private finance. It examines the consequences of investment failing to keep up with demand - in congestion, environmental damage and slower growth - and the impact of new approaches, including public-private partnerships. Throughout Western Europe investment in transport infrastructure has been failing to keep up with demand. The result has been congestion, environmental damage and the slowing down of economic growth. Some countries have consistently invested more than others in transport, and some forms of transport have found it easier than others to attract finance, leading to patterns of investment which are not always consistent with policy objectives. Financing European Transport Infrastructure looks at how each mode of transport - road, rail, sea, air, urban, and inland waterways - is organised and funded in Continental Western Europe. It analyses differences in economic geography, culture, and business history, but also highlights common trends such as the decentralisation of responsibility to regional authorities, the expanding role of the European Commission, the requirement for more infrastructure to be self-financing, and the increasing involvement of the private sector Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction....Pages 1-16 Organisational framework....Pages 17-39 Roads....Pages 41-81 Railways....Pages 83-123 Urban public transport....Pages 125-154 Inland waterways....Pages 155-164 Airways....Pages 165-178 Airports....Pages 179-202 Seaports....Pages 203-232 Funding mechanisms for the future....Pages 233-243 Back Matter....Pages 245-258