Background:
Urban rail systems in the larger Australian capital cities
have significant demand variability, with morning and evening peak
demand in many cases stressing system capacity and adversely
impacting service levels and traveller satisfaction. Urban rail
authorities in most Australian capital cities already employ
elements of demand management, both via differential pricing and
administrative techniques. However current demand balancing
approaches may reflect historical practice and past priorities
rather than a systematic measured approach to achieving current
system management objectives. Improvements in demand management
hence have the potential to deliver improved rail system budgetary
outcomes and assist in addressing environmental and social
objectives.
Objectives:
The project will identify, evaluate and appraise factors
which influence demand for urban rail services and investigating
ways in which these factors may be influenced to balance demand and
capacity of urban rail to improve efficiency and enable cost
effective provision of services.
Benefits:
The potential benefits of this research include being able
to:
- Provide urban rail authorities with the tools to better
balance demand with capacity.
- Better understand the latent or additional demand that
could be serviced with appropriate changes to service
characteristics
- Promote better utilisation of current rail
infrastructure, rolling stock and services.
- Improve service levels for urban commuters.
- Social and environmental dividends in the areas of energy
use, carbon impact, reduced congestion, trip times, work-life
balance and access to recreational amenities.
- Reduced pressure on other transport
infrastructure.
- Enhanced financial viability and budget outcomes for
urban rail organisations
Expected outcomes:
-
An enhanced understanding of the determinants and
characteristics of demand for urban rail services
-
Empirical models of urban rail demand applicable to the
development of urban rail policy
-
Estimates of latent demand for rail services in an urban rail
corridor and identification of the implications for rail policy and
planning
-
Production of case studies of three urban rail systems and
use characteristics of these
-
Enhanced industry and university linkages both at the
national and international level with associated increased capacity
for rail system policy development and management
-
Additional data on the characteristics and utilisation of
Australian urban rail systems, with applicability to further
research and development activities
Project timeframe:
January 2009 – June 2010
Project Chair:
George Karpouzis, Senior Economist, RailCorp
Project Leader:
Associate Professor Keith Sloan, Southern Cross
University
Tel: (02) 6620 3094
Email: keith.sloan@scu.edu.au
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