Public-private partnership in high-speed railway infrastructures: elements for improvement

Abstract

European railway transportation is not as efficient as it could be. Public-private partnerships can yield higher efficiency in railway transport. There are a few implemented infrastructures through public-private partnerships and, in many of them, the result has not been the expected one. The purpose of this research is to develop a list of recommendations and good practices that allow governments, private investors, and railway stakeholders to take better and more efficient decisions on the implementation of new high-speed rail lines. Consequently, this research has analysed through seven case studies, all the high-speed lines designed through public-private partnerships in Europe. The research methodology is based on exploratory case study and on the identification of critical success factors. This article has made it possible to develop a list of recommendations and good practices.