Like some other freight-oriented rail investments, the inland railway has been advocated partly on the grounds that it will stimulate the economies of some rural regions.

This Working Paper forms part of a research project investigating into certain issues concerned with measuring the benefits of investment in transport infrastructure.

The Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics (BTCE) is examining a number of issues in measuring the benefits of transport infrastructure investment.

Historically, railways have provided the means to open up new areas for economic development. When built to link existing centres of economic activity, they have given rise to greatly increased opportunities for trade and travel.

Since the early 1990s, railway operations in Australia and in many overseas countries have been radically reformed.

For cost-benefit analyses (CBA) of public-sector projects, a common misconception is that the discount rate should include a risk premium in consonance with the private-sector practice of doing so.

The submission commences with a brief general discussion of the economics of road and rail infrastructure and some implications for pricing; examines the relationship between estimates of road infrastructure costs attributable to Australian heavy

The first edition of the Guidelines (ATC 2004a) was produced by the Guidelines Assessment Methodology Working Group (endorsed by the Standing Committee on Transport).

This analysis is the first in a series of case studies undertaken for the BTRE ex-post road investments evaluation project.

BTRE's ex-post road investments evaluation project involves systematically reviewing after the fact the projected costs and benefits of major investments.