Assessment of Logistics effects from Transport Infrastructure Investments

Evaluation methodologies in Denmark and in a number of other European countries have over the years had a primary focus on person-related issues within transport planning. Thus issues relating to evaluation for freight transport have lacked behind and have not had the attention they deserve on the basis of the importance of this research area from a societal and economic viewpoint. This paper aims to identify a framework for assessment of logistic effects from transport infrastructure investment such that these effects can be integrated into the appraisal methodologies. Particular attention involves: (1) definition and analysis of logistic-goods effects; (2) Empirical examples of logistic-goods effects; (3) Outline of a modelling study framework including formulation of strategic models for logistic-goods effects. The paper first deals in some detail with the theoretical arguments regarding logistic-goods effects in section 2. Thereafter in section 3 a number of empirical examples of these effects are examined. In section 4 practical modelling issues regarding logistic-goods effects are considered forming part of the research programme 2002-2005 of the Danish Centre for Logistics and Freight Transport (CLG) http://www.ctt.dtu.dk/projects/clg/. Finally, section 5 presents conclusions and the research perspective.