Has European Rail Policy Improved The Efficiency of European Railways?

Existing studies of the impact of European rail reforms on efficiency have provided ambiguous findings. This paper uses an up-to-date dataset and many model specifications within various methods to provide more robust conclusions. The results suggest that a holding company model has some benefits over complete vertical separation in terms of efficiency, but these may be offset by lowered competition; separating freight and passenger transport increases efficiency. Competition in freight is beneficial, while competition in passenger transport depends on the level of competition. The benefits of competition can outweigh the costs of vertical separation when competition is more widespread.