Accessibility and territorial cohesion: ex post analysis of Cohesion Fund infrastructure projects

Abstract

The aim of this study is to develop a framework to assess impacts of various policy options and transport infrastructure investments on accessibility at European level. In order to test the developed framework, impacts of transport infrastructure projects co-funded by the Cohesion Fund and ERDF between 2000 and 2006 were analyzed in terms of accessibility and territorial cohesion. These projects aimed at improving road and rail transport networks in the peripheral and/or enlargement countries while connecting them to the core network. Their impact on accessibility of regions was evaluated for passenger transport using an appropriate combination of various accessibility indicators. At first, the travel costs with and without the improved infrastructure were estimated using the TRANS-TOOLS model (Tools for Transport Forecasting and Scenario Testing; the Europe-wide transport network model used as one of the main reference tools for impact assessments by the European Commission); then, the output of the model was used to compute regional accessibilities at NUTS 3 level in Europe. Finally, several statistical techniques were introduced to detect changes in the accessibility pattern of Europe and to assess similarity / dissimilarity of regions.

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