Transport Economics and Infrastructure Planning Training Course

Participants can interpret network characteristics and service measures used in planning decisions.

• Network hierarchy classified by movement function, access function and users
• Link capacity, volume-to-capacity ratios and level-of-service limitations
• Journey time reliability measured through percentile travel-time indicators
• Public transport supply assessed through frequency, span and transfer penalties
• Freight corridors evaluated using vehicle restrictions, terminal access and delays
• Network resilience assessed against incidents, closures and disrupted demand

Participants can specify, assess and use transport data for planning and appraisal.

• Traffic counts designed by location, period, vehicle class and purpose
• Origin-destination surveys structured for trip purpose, mode and time
• Household travel surveys sampled, weighted and checked for bias
• Automatic vehicle location data cleaned for transit performance analysis
• Mobile-phone and ticketing data assessed for coverage and privacy limitations
• Data quality checks identify missing values, outliers and inconsistent definitions

Participants can explain travel choices using generalised cost and behavioural response measures.

• Generalised cost combines fares, fuel, time, reliability and interchange penalties
• Value of travel time differentiated by purpose, mode and traveller
• Own-price and cross-price elasticities estimated from observed demand changes
• Income elasticity considered when forecasting vehicle ownership and ridership
• Induced demand distinguished from reassignment, redistribution and generated trips
• Stated-preference and revealed-preference evidence compared for policy forecasting

Participants can build and critique a basic transport demand forecasting structure.

• Trip generation estimated from households, employment, land use and demographics
• Trip distribution applies gravity models and impedance-based travel resistance
• Mode choice models compare generalised costs across available alternatives
• Traffic assignment loads forecast trips onto constrained network links
• Base-year calibration compares modelled outputs against observed counts
• Forecast-year scenarios document growth assumptions, committed schemes and policies

Participants can assess how transport investments influence accessibility, land use and development.

• Accessibility indicators measure opportunities reachable within defined travel-time thresholds
• Land-use transport feedback links development intensity, travel demand and capacity
• Agglomeration effects assessed through effective density and business connectivity
• Transit-oriented development tested against station access, density and market demand
• Value capture mechanisms compared: betterment levies, land sales and tax increment
• Displacement risks identified for low-income residents near major investments

Participants can prepare a strategic case that connects evidence, objectives and intervention logic.

• Problem statements distinguish symptoms, causes, constraints and affected populations
• Theory of change maps inputs, outputs, outcomes and long-term impacts
• SMART objectives set measurable targets for safety, access and reliability
• Do-minimum and do-something cases establish credible intervention baselines
• Strategic alignment tested against transport plans, climate commitments and budgets
• Benefits maps assign ownership, indicators and evidence sources to outcomes

Participants can generate feasible alternatives and assess them against transparent criteria.

• Option longlists include demand management, operations, assets and pricing
• Fatal-flaw screening tests legal, technical, environmental and land constraints
• Multi-criteria analysis weights objectives, scores options and records rationale
• Pareto analysis identifies options with superior cost and outcome trade-offs
• Reference-class evidence challenges optimistic cost, time and demand assumptions
• Preferred options justified through documented criteria, evidence and stakeholder input

Participants can estimate and structure whole-life costs for transport infrastructure options.

• Work breakdown structures separate civil works, systems, land and supervision
• Unit-cost estimates use quantities, market rates and location adjustments
• Lifecycle costing includes renewal cycles, maintenance, operations and disposal
• Optimism bias adjustments applied to early-stage capital cost estimates
• Contingency allowances linked to identified risks and estimate maturity
• Cost estimates reconciled with scope, schedule, procurement and inflation assumptions

Participants can calculate and interpret core economic benefits and costs of transport projects.

• Discounted cash flows convert annual costs and benefits into present values
• Net present value, benefit-cost ratio and internal rate calculated
• Consumer surplus estimates user benefits from travel-time and cost changes
• Vehicle operating costs measured from distance, speed and fleet composition
• Accident benefits calculated using crash reductions and unit values
• Economic analysis separates resource costs from taxes, transfers and financing

Participants can incorporate environmental effects and climate risks into transport decisions.

• Greenhouse gas emissions estimated from vehicle kilometres, fuel and technology
• Local air pollutants assessed using exposure, emissions and receptor locations
• Noise impacts valued through affected populations, exposure levels and duration
• Biodiversity and habitat effects screened using mitigation hierarchy principles
• Climate risk assessment considers heat, flooding, landslides and sea-level rise
• Carbon values applied consistently with national appraisal guidance and scenarios

Participants can assess who gains, who bears costs and how schemes affect access.

• Distributional analysis identifies impacts by income, gender, age and disability
• Accessibility gaps mapped for jobs, education, healthcare and essential services
• Affordability assessed through fare burdens, household income and travel needs
• Universal design requirements considered for stations, vehicles and pedestrian routes
• Safety analysis addresses women, children and vulnerable road users
• Mitigation measures target displacement, severance and unequal benefit distribution

Participants can prepare a financial case covering funding sources, cash flows and affordability.

• Financial appraisal distinguishes project cash flows from economic resource costs
• Capital funding sources include budgets, grants, debt and land-value capture
• Operating revenues forecast from fares, tolls, advertising and service contracts
• Affordability tests compare annual commitments against fiscal ceilings and reserves
• Debt-service coverage and repayment profiles assessed for revenue-backed projects
• Funding gaps addressed through phasing, scope revision and financing structures

Participants can match delivery and procurement approaches to project risks and capabilities.

• Design-bid-build, design-build and public-private partnership models compared
• Risk allocation assigns construction, demand, operations and interface responsibilities
• Output specifications define service levels, availability and performance standards
• Procurement strategy reflects market capacity, competition and contract complexity
• Bid evaluation combines price, quality, technical compliance and lifecycle value
• Contract management plans track milestones, variations, claims and performance deductions

Participants can test investment cases against uncertainty and develop proportionate risk responses.

• Risk registers document causes, events, consequences, owners and treatments
• Sensitivity analysis tests discount rates, demand, costs and opening dates
• Scenario analysis combines plausible economic, policy and network changes
• Monte Carlo simulation estimates probability distributions for key appraisal results
• Risk-adjusted cost estimates distinguish contingency from management reserve
• Decision gates specify evidence thresholds before funding and procurement approval

Participants can connect investment choices with operational performance and long-term asset needs.

• Service planning matches routes, frequencies, fleet requirements and demand patterns
• Timetable design considers cycle times, layovers, recovery and crew constraints
• Asset management plans link condition, criticality, maintenance and renewal
• Key performance indicators track punctuality, reliability, safety and customer experience
• Demand management measures include pricing, parking controls and travel planning
• Operating subsidies assessed against service obligations and social objectives

Participants can plan governance, engagement and approval arrangements for transport projects.

• Stakeholder mapping identifies influence, interests, concerns and engagement approaches
• Public consultation plans define audiences, channels, feedback and decision records
• Interagency coordination addresses land, utilities, permits and service integration
• Governance structures clarify sponsor, owner, operator and assurance responsibilities
• Stage-gate approvals test strategic, economic, financial and delivery cases
• Audit trails retain assumptions, evidence, decisions and change-control records

Participants can create monitoring arrangements that test whether expected transport benefits occur.

• Benefits realisation plans connect outcomes, indicators, baselines and accountable owners
• Before-and-after studies measure travel time, ridership, safety and emissions
• Evaluation designs distinguish project effects from background economic changes
• Target trajectories identify corrective actions when benefits underperform expectations
• Post-opening reviews compare actual costs, demand and outcomes against forecasts
• Lessons-learned registers improve assumptions for future transport investment cases

Participants can communicate appraisal findings clearly to technical and non-technical decision-makers.

• Executive summaries state the decision, recommendation, evidence and key risks
• Appraisal tables present costs, benefits, assumptions and sensitivity results clearly
• Maps and charts explain accessibility, demand, network and equity effects
• Uncertainty communication distinguishes ranges, scenarios, confidence and unknowns
• Committee papers separate factual findings from policy judgements and recommendations
• Oral briefings anticipate challenge on affordability, distribution and delivery feasibility

Participants can build, review and present a complete transport investment business case for a selected scheme.

• Define the transport problem, affected users and measurable investment objectives
• Develop demand assumptions, baseline conditions and forecast-year scenarios
• Compare shortlisted options using economic, environmental and equity evidence
• Calculate lifecycle costs, user benefits, externalities and discounted appraisal results
• Prepare financial, procurement, risk and governance sections for approval
• Present the completed business case and defend recommendations under review