Industrial PhD in partnership with Network Rail: Optimising Britain's Railways - economic perspectives
Applications are invited from UK/EU candidates for an industry-linked EPSRC iCASE studentship which will research topical economic challenges at the heart of Britain's railway system. The successful candidate will have a unique opportunity to work directly with Network Rail and will receive an enhanced funding package. The student will spend at least three months working at the company's premises (with all travel and subsistence costs funded), and a representative from Network Rail will play an active role as an external supervisor. It thus offers an excellent opportunity to develop leading edge and high impact research, with strong opportunities for a future research career or career within the industry.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Finding the right economic model (ownership; market structure; regulatory institutions; state involvement) for financing and operating railway infrastructure and operations has long been a challenge the world over. European legislation in recent years has sought to reform Europe's railways through increasing competition which has also been supported to a greater or lesser degree by separating the natural monopoly part of the railways (infrastructure) from the contestable part (operations).
Britain took the most rapid and radical approach to rail reform, separating the former state monopoly into over a 100 companies, combined with complete privatisation and the introduction of competition in several parts of the value chain. These reforms led to some successes, but also numerous problems, most notably that costs rose sharply rather than falling as anticipated. As a result, the 2011 Sir Roy McNulty value for money study argued that Britain's railways needed to become more efficient. More widely government policy emphasises the "4C" objectives around cost, capacity, carbon and customer. In other words, policy makers have the vision of a bigger, better more carbon friendly railway, delivered at lower cost and in turn lower public subsidy.
Against the above policy background this PhD will focus on how to optimise railway operations from an economic perspective. Within this, there is potential to research one or more of the following questions:
* Economic costs and quality: how much does it cost to improve quality (for example punctuality) and how much are incremental improvements in quality worth to users? What is the optimal balance between cost and quality?
* Economic costs and capacity: what are the costs and benefits of expanding capacity as compared to seeking pricing mechanisms to ration scarce capacity?
* Economic costs and industry structure: how do alternative market, regulatory and ownership solutions impact on railway cost and performance delivery
* Economic costs and carbon: what are the embedded and on-going carbon implications of alternative rail delivery approaches? How can carbon performance be better incentivised?
* Economic costs and climate change: how does climate change impact on costs and performance and what is the optimal model to address the challenges posed by climate change?
FUNDING - £16,590 P.A TAX FREE PLUS TUITION FEES AND EXPENSES
For a student eligible to pay fees at the UK/EU rate this studentship includes the payment of all tuition fees. For UK-rated students (and other EU students who meet strict UK residence requirements) there will also be the provision of living expenses of £16,590 p.a. (tax free). An additional training fund will support conference attendance and travel costs (and all travel and subsistence costs will also be met during the placement).
www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/students/coll/icase/Pages/intro.aspx
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: 15th February 2013
FURTHER DETAILS INCLUDING HOW TO APPLY: www.its.leeds.ac.uk/courses/phd/funding
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Tel: +44 (0)113 343 5326
Institute for Transport Studies (ITS)
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
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