We analyse maintenance cost data for Swedish railway infrastructure in relation to traffic volumes and
network characteristics, and separate the cost impact from passenger and freight trains. Lines with mixed
passenger and freight traffic, and dedicated freight lines are analysed separately using both log-linear and
Box-Cox regression models. We find that for mixed lines, the Box-Cox specification is preferred, while a
log-linear model is chosen in the case of dedicated freight lines. The cost elasticity with respect to output
is found to be higher for passenger trains than for freight trains in the case of mixed lines. The cost
elasticity for freight trains on dedicated lines is higher than for freight trains on mixed lines. From a
marginal cost pricing perspective, freight trains on mixed lines are currently over-charged, while
passenger trains on mixed lines and freight trains on dedicated lines are under-charged.
