Competition in the railway passenger market

In recent years new developments in the railway market have brought about several new insights about the effects of competition in the sector. In the context of a workshop in Madrid organised by the UNED University in the realm of the research project REGUTRAIN, some practical cases in Europe were discussed. New entrants that offer competitive passenger rail services have brought down prices and increased frequencies significantly in several instances. Yet, the debate showed that whether these developments are beneficial for the system on the whole remains an open question.