A methodology for the assessment of rail-road freight transport policies

Abstract This paper presents a methodology to evaluate rail-road freight policies such as new services and/or incentives for long-distance freight transport by using a mixed what-if/what-to approach. It uses a specific mode-service choice model to share the freight demand among alternatives (road-rail combined transport, maritime Ro-Ro and road transport) and a service network design model to identify new rail-road freight services. This methodology is designed to be easily integrated within a Decision Support System for the assessment of freight transport policies. Finally, in order to show the applicability of the proposed approach, some application examples carried out to support Italian Ministry of Transport in the development of the new Italian National Transport Plan are presented.