Railway stations in the Republic of Serbia in the function of transportation of goods: Efficiency according to the DEA system

Abstract

Introduction/purpose: Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is commonly used to calculate the efficiency of similar Decision-Making Units (DMUs), which as such are elements of one set. In the article, it is considered that each such element of a set (of similar elements) is at the same time an element of a system (of various elements). An example of DMUs are 27 railway stations in the Republic of Serbia (RS) as an element of a set of railway stations and as an element of the railway transportation system, in the function of transporting goods, after division of the company Serbian Railways in 2015 (into "passengers" and "goods"). For the sake of better service, attraction and retention of clients, in the newly opened, free, transport market, the purpose of this article is to find the efficiency of the RS stations iin the period of 2018-2022. Methods: Set-systemic-model comparative DEA analysis of railway stations as a DMUs. A unit is an element of the set, a unit is an element of the system, and a unit is the subject of the mathematical DEACCR/BCC/SE model. Results: The final efficiency, the average of all average values, is 0.7666, as a result of a triple comparative DEA analysis: 27 DMU, three DEA models and five years of functioning. Conclusion: Stations are functionally different in terms of efficiency and each station functionally differs by years and by model. The final aim is an input-output balance and the 27/27 option which is achieved with corrective actions - reduction/addition, input or output.