Factors Affecting Rail Reform Model Choice And Cases Comparison Around The World

A large wave of railway reform started since 1980s and still on-going.A number of countries chose different types of reform models based on their specific conditions and objectives.Studies on the railway reform experience,particularly the efficiency impact is substantial.However,currently debate on the appropriate reform model choice among researchers are intense and not conclusive.This study attempted to shed light on the background and pre-conditions of these reforms through quantitative analysis to evaluate railway reform experience from an another perspective.In addition,comparative case study on railway reform experience of Australia,the United States,the United Kingdom,European Union,Japan and Russia was carried out.Data set was collected from 129 individual railway experts,scholars,and students in China,India,German,Venezuela,Ethiopia,and Mongolia through either questionnaire or face to face interview to analyze their opinion of which factors driving railway reforms as well as their preference on railway reform mode choice.The specific factors that might affect railway reform were based on principle the Governance theory and identified and compiled through literature reviews.A simple structural equation model was constructed for this study delivers some preliminary indications on the government,political,market and social factors affecting railway reform mode choice.Each of factors shows mixed result towards specific reform mode choice of institutional separation,corporatization or ownership restricting,and introduction of competition element to the industry.Government control factors negatively affect institutional restructuring as well as competition,yet positively affect corporatization or ownership restructuring when full or partial public ownership is present.Political and policy factors positively affect railway,and competition but does not affect ownership restructuring.Market factors has negative relationship with institutional restructuring but then positive relationship with ownership changes and enhance competitions.Finally,social elements do not affect separation of railways but do impact positively on the ownership reform and negatively on the competition in railways.