The WCTRS global subway efficiency benchmarking task force inaugural report: The key findings, lessons learned, policy issues investigated

Authors

Tae Hoon Oum
Kun Wang
Chunyan Yu
Pierlugi Coppola
Luigi Castagna
Hironori Kato
Yiping Le
Xiao Luo
Suhui Gan
Kyungtaek Kim
Woojin Kim
Gopal Patil
Vinayak Gaur
Giovanni Circella
Hossain Mohiuddin
Maria Carolina Lecompte
Clark Lim

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2024

Subject Area

place - asia, place - europe, place - north america, place - urban, mode - subway/metro, planning - methods

Keywords

Subway efficiency benchmarking, Variable input productivity (VIP) method, Policy interventions, WCTRS

Abstract

This study presents the key summary of the inaugural report of the WCTRS Global Subway Efficiency Benchmarking Task Force, focusing on evaluating the operating efficiency of subway systems across Asia, Europe, and North America. Given the increasing need for urban transit authorities to balance multiple objectives, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing public health, this benchmarking initiative provides a crucial assessment of their productivity and efficiency of operations. We employed the Variable Input Productivity (VIP) method intelligently computed by the translog multilateral indexing method, chosen over DEA due to its transitive properties and better suitability for policy applications. Our analysis measures the VIP index, specifically examining labor and soft input productivities, to gauge how efficiently subway systems utilize their variable resources. By adjusting for factors beyond management control through regression analysis, we derived Net VIP scores, offering a more accurate comparison across different cities. The results reveal significant variations in efficiency levels, with some cities demonstrating remarkable productivity despite limited resources while others lag behind due to structural and operational challenges. Our findings underscore the importance of targeted policy interventions to enhance the efficiency of urban rail systems. Above all, the WCTRS Task Force members who volunteered their time and effort hope to raise awareness of efficiency and productivity as an important aspect of managing and operating the subways and other city transit systems.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Elsevier, copyright remains with them.

Comments

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0967070X

Recommended Citation

Oum TH, Wang K, Yu C, Coppola P, Castagna L, Kato H, Le Y, Luo X, Gan S, Kim K, Kim W. (2025). The WCTRS global subway efficiency benchmarking task force inaugural report: The key findings, lessons learned, policy issues investigated. Transport Policy, 162, 353-363.