High Speed Rail in Greece : methods for evaluating economic impacts

Abstract

High Speed Rail is a mode that gains popularity every day. Many countries have such a network and others are on the way to adopting one. Greece, which is part of the European Union, is one of those countries that are looking forward to such a network. This thesis will investigate the transportation sector of Greece, its governance and funding issues. Moreover, it will go into depth regarding the mode of High Speed Rail. The projects and issues related to this mode will be presented. Another issue of concern will be the evaluation of economic impacts of transportation investments and high speed rail specifically. A thorough literature review regarding the different methods and software packages that exist will be presented. Also, a method suitable to the Greek standards and characteristics will be proposed. Last, we create a screening model for High Speed Rail. This model aims to be used from countries similar to Greece, in order to realize whether it is worth it to start thinking of constructing such a network or not. HSR possibilities in Greece and Portugal are compared using the screening model.