One of the key objectives of rail infrastructure charges has been stated as being to promote the efficient
use of the infrastructure. Much effort has been put into the derivation of charging regimes by
infrastructure managers and regulators throughout Europe, and a mix of differing regimes have been put
in place. However, relatively little work has been undertaken to examine the impacts and incentivisation
effects that these charging regimes produce. This paper gives consideration to relevant theory in this area,
what one might expect - from first principles - and then reports on a number of interviews and case
studies undertaken to explore these impacts and incentives. Finally, it discusses a number of
methodological issues surrounding this area of research, and proposes further lines of enquiry that might
reasonably be pursued.
