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The Possibilities of Increasing the Economic Efficiency of Regional Rail Passenger Transport—A Case Study in Slovakia

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Sustainable Rail Transport

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Mobility ((LNMOB))

Abstract

Short-distance rail passenger transport is regarded as a service of public interest in almost all EU countries. With regard to European Transport Policy and measurements proposed in the Fourth Railway Package, it is necessary to improve the quality of rail passenger transport services, so it reflects customers’ requirements, and the optimal utilisation of public resources. Opening the market of this rail passenger transport segment may, however, not bring expected results. The efforts to reduce a drain on public resources may induce a lower quality of services and lower performance of rail services. Public passenger transport represents only one quarter of the total share of passenger transport on the Slovak transport market where the share of rail passenger transport is approximately 9.4%. A separate issue is the impact of a zero fare, introduced in November 2014, on the attitude of the public on rail transport. As a result, the interest of the public in travelling by passenger trains has increased, but at the same time, the quality of provided services has been impacted significantly. This paper outlines how selected technical, technological and other factors influence the efficiency of providing services within a rail passenger transport segment in a selected urban agglomeration. The results suggest; applying a tariff system and setting quality standards of services for rail passenger transport.

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Acknowledgements

The paper was supported by the VEGA Agency, Grant No. 1/0019/17 “Evaluation of regional rail transport in the context of regional economic potential with a view to effective use of public resources and social costs of transport”, at Faculty of Operations and Economics of Transport and Communication, University of Žilina, Slovakia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Zilina, Univerzitna 8215/1, 010 26, Zilina, Slovakia

    Anna Dolinayova & Lenka Cerna

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  1. Anna Dolinayova
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  2. Lenka Cerna
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Correspondence to Anna Dolinayova .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Engg Systems & Mgmt ESM, Main Building, Aston University, Birmingham, UK

    Marin Marinov

  2. JP Research & Consulting, Port Lincoln SA, Australia

    Janene Piip

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Dolinayova, A., Cerna, L. (2020). The Possibilities of Increasing the Economic Efficiency of Regional Rail Passenger Transport—A Case Study in Slovakia. In: Marinov, M., Piip, J. (eds) Sustainable Rail Transport. Lecture Notes in Mobility. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19519-9_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19519-9_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-19518-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-19519-9

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