Working papers in Transport Economics,
CTS - Centre for Transport Studies Stockholm (KTH and VTI)

Abstract: In this paper, we estimate the impact of axle loads on rail infrastructure maintenance costs. The results show that cost elasticities with respect to traffic increase with axle load. Using these elasticities, we calculate marginal costs for traffic that are differentiated with respect to the trains' average tonnage per axle. The results are relevant when setting track access charges in Europe as well as for railway cost studies in general, considering that the empirical evidence in this paper gives support to the engineering perspective — that is, axle loads are important to consider when assessing the damage caused by traffic.

Keywords: maintenance; rail infrastructure; axle load; marginal cost; track access charge; top-down approach

JEL-codes: L92; R48

17 pages, First version: September 28, 2016. Revised: November 14, 2018. Earlier revisions: November 14, 2018.

Note: Published in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy (JTEP), Volume 53, Number 3, July 2019, pp. 334-350.

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