Papers by Athena Roumboutsos
Transportation Research Board 90th Annual MeetingTransportation Research Board, 2011
The application of sustainable urban public transport policies has lead many public transport aut... more The application of sustainable urban public transport policies has lead many public transport authorities to the (re) introduction of light transit rail (LRT) systems in cities with existing transport operators. The operational integration of the new entrant is a prerequisite. Public regulating authorities are faced with the problem of intervention and more precisely, when and how to intervene. To this end, a game theoretic conceptual model has been developed focusing on the integration of the LRT with an existing Metro and Bus operator System, resulting in a simple decision tool for the public regulator. Findings are compared to reported case studies and indicate the operators’ potential to establish fare integration while the furthering of integration measures depends on market size and the risk averseness of the existing transport operators.
The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encoura... more The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.
Transport Reviews, Jan 26, 2016
International Advances in Economic Research, Jan 26, 2010
The notion of sustainability has lead to the evaluation of public projects in terms of wider soci... more The notion of sustainability has lead to the evaluation of public projects in terms of wider socio-economic and environmental benefits. The Cost Benefit Analysis and its respective, Social Discount Rate (SDR), is of crucial importance, especially when the advantages of private financing are to be demonstrated in comparison with the alternative traditional procurement of works and services. The SDR seen
European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, Sep 1, 2018
Investment in transport infrastructure is under pressure. On the one hand, the need for maintaini... more Investment in transport infrastructure is under pressure. On the one hand, the need for maintaining and/or replacing existing assets as well as building new ones is higher than ever. On the other hand, funding either for maintaining existing assets or building new ones, is severely constrained. Earlier literature proposed to combine all the above factors in the form of indicators that can describe the elements of the transport infrastructure delivery system. At the heart of this system lies the business model, which generates funding and attracts financing. System elements are drawn and kept together by the efficiency and flexibility of their contractual governance. An important element that determines the overall functionality of the system is the contextual setting: the implementation and transport mode contexts. This special issue brings together multiple research contributions that showcase the importance of understanding the funding and financing characteristics of transport infrastructure. A key common conclusion is that success or failure is not dependent on a single factor but rather a group of factors, which are not the same for all targeted outcomes. All papers, in their analysis of respective factors, identify "turning points" in their positive or negative effect on project performance.
Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual MeetingTransportation Research Board, 2013
The adoption of innovation has frequently been described as path-dependent, highlighting the rand... more The adoption of innovation has frequently been described as path-dependent, highlighting the randomness in overcoming barriers. Addressing these issues within a System provides an improved understanding of the forces at work and allows for the planning and implementation of policy interventions in favor of innovation uptake especially when the objective is welfare. Extending the Systems’ Innovation approach, a Systems’ Innovation framework for policy support is produced to assist in indicating when and how to intervene in the adoption/ technology transfer process. The proposed framework is applied to the introduction of e-vehicles in city logistics. Findings indicate the dependence of the innovation uptake on the innovation leader/champion and that need to transfer leadership from central authorities to municipal authorities in order to move from the initiation stage to the implementation stage. The importance of strong networks between innovation actors and respective building of capabilities, which may also work in favor of other competitive innovations, is also derived from the analysis.
European Transport Conference 2012Association for European Transport (AET)Transportation Research Board, 2012
Electric vehicles have received considerable attention as an innovation contributing to the reduc... more Electric vehicles have received considerable attention as an innovation contributing to the reduction of local air and noise pollution. However, small production rates reflected in high purchase prices, leading to small market uptake and underdeveloped support/service networks, renders them commercially unjustifiable. Urban freight transport operations may provide the grounds to promote larger scale deployment, but policy intervention is required. Identifying when and how policy makers should intervene is an objective. This is analyzed on both an European Union (EU) level and a “typical” city level with the respective System of Innovation as proposed in the presented framework. The analysis also is viewed inter-temporal. While on an EU level, the strong partnerships required are both identified and in place, on a “typical” city logistics level, the multi-actor environment with the plethora of binary objectives limits the direct policy intervention to regulator/ planner, if market distortions are to be avoided. In this case, while consolidation may be achieved, this does not necessarily lead to the introduction of electrical powered vehicle fleets.
European Transport Conference 2011Association for European Transport (AET)Transportation Research Board, 2011
The promotion of intermodal transport for passengers and goods has been one of the main pillars o... more The promotion of intermodal transport for passengers and goods has been one of the main pillars of the European Transport Policy for the last three decades. The objectives of various policy developments towards promotion of Intermodality relate to a more rational modal split and better exploitation of resources, a better connectivity and accessibility of the European transport system and, mainly, the reduction of negative external transport effects on the safety of the environment and quality of life. Intermodal terminals' service performance plays a crucial role in the decision making process of users, since it affects modal (or intermodal) choice decisions and, consequently, route selection in several cases. In the case of trips with tourism purpose, it may affect also the destination choice. In the case of passenger transport more particularly, the quality performance of services offered at "interfaces" relates not only to purely transport attributes (e.g. transport cost, transport time, waiting time, accessibility to other modes etc) but also to the existence and quality of many other services to users (information, leisure, shopping, culture etc). In most of cases, interfaces between different modes correspond to a multi-polar "interchange" area rather than to an ideally defined physical nodal point. Examples of these interchange areas are big airports or maritime ports in spatial proximity with railway stations or metro/bus stations for short distance end haul transport, but subject to distinct management authorities and organization. This involves a more complicated infrastructural environment and consequently, more complex users' approach as far as perceptions and requirements are concerned. Therefore, this paper introduces the concept of "interchange" instead of that of the classical passenger terminal. The paper aims at developing a methodology for exploring and quantifying the users' requirements for service performance at "interchanges" in the case of passenger intermodal transport, with emphasis on tourism as the trip purpose. The paper takes into account the development and analysis of new mobility schemes and associated organizational patterns at the interface and interconnection between transport networks. The paper applies the proposed methodology in the case study of the port of Patras in Greece. The port of Patras, located in the north-west of Peloponnese, represents the main western gate of Greece. It knows among others an important demand of passenger transport for tourist purposes -with high seasonality due to tourism- between western and central Europe through Italy and the Adriatic-Ionian corridor to Greece. The paper develops the design of the research, the analysis of the collected data and a detailed description of the selected elaboration techniques. The first part of the paper is concentrated on the identification of the key requirements of the travelers. It includes various categories of services such as travel, interconnectivity, information, banking, catering, shop, leisure, culture and other services to users. "Internal" and "external" services offered at the interchange are also distinguished. Based on a survey performed at the port of Patras, the paper assesses the relative importance of these services and their relative impact on terminal/route choice and, in certain cases, on the destination choice (the latter being strongly related to travelers having tourism as the trip purpose). In the second part, the paper compares the users' requirements, as stated during the survey, with the perceived utility by the users for the actual capabilities and performance of the Port of Patras. In the third part, based on the outcomes of this comparison, the paper proceeds to suggestions for appropriate measures aiming at upgrading the interconnection between the port and the road and rail network, as well as at upgrading the port attractiveness. Beyond the results from the statistical analysis of the questionnaire survey that took place in the port of Patras and the evaluation of the most important quality factors according to customers' opinion, the added value of the paper consists in designing the main axes of a new "business" model for transport interchange hubs. Based on the port of Patras survey, this business model deals with organizational issues in order to develop more integrated managerial schemes between stakeholders, achieve better coordination and promote more efficient and attractive intermodal services.
This publication is supported by COST. Cover by Maria Stafida Original Cover Rail Photos courtesy... more This publication is supported by COST. Cover by Maria Stafida Original Cover Rail Photos courtesy of Niklas Alm
A holistic approach to research Vanelslander et al. (2013) provide a synopsis of the recent port-... more A holistic approach to research Vanelslander et al. (2013) provide a synopsis of the recent port-related academic literature covering the 2011-2013 period. This set of papers contains also an overview of the used methodologies (see table 1). Some papers apply two methodologies, all other papers were assigned to one methodology. The used methodologies span from literature review to modeling.
Utilities Policy, Oct 1, 2022
Case Studies on Transport Policy
Innovation is imperative in sustaining the competitiveness of the port industry. While the transp... more Innovation is imperative in sustaining the competitiveness of the port industry. While the transportation industry has made considerable progress during the past decades in an effort to remain competitive in an era of sophistication, the port sector seems to be lagging. The two major streams of innovation theory suggest that fact may be due to either a lack of capabilities (linear theory) or a malfunction in the innovation system (evolutionary theory or systems of innovation). The present analysis takes advantage of a large number of case studies (75) to identify patterns in the innovation process, which support success in terms of meeting objectives. In this context, four basic hypotheses are tested concerning: (1) The importance of capabilities (external knowledge and financing); (2) The accord of all actors involved; (3) The importance of market push; and (4) The ability of the innovation champion to influence actors and outcome. These hypotheses reflect on the basic theoretical ...
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2012
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Papers by Athena Roumboutsos