Performance Evaluation in Railway Transport: The Case of Europe and Türkiye

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the current study is to investigate the efficiency of ten European countries and Türkiye according to their GNP ratios in railway transportation. The study also aims to identify significant productivity differences between countries and determine which countries are most affected by the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak in terms of rail transport. Methodology: Since it is performance research, secondary data was used. Data from the years 2011 to 2020 were utilized for the study. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)-Malmquist Index method was employed to reveal the efficiency changes over the years. The analysis of the data was conducted using the DEA-based Windows Analysis Program (DEAP). Findings: According to the total factor productivity change rates in the Malmquist Index; while there is a 1% increase in productivity in Lithuania, 0.3% in Romania and 0.2% in the UK, a slight decrease is observed in the productivity of other countries. The decreases in the productivity of the countries are mostly experienced during the COVID-19 epidemic period in 2011-2020. Originality: In the current literature, studies on railway performance have been made using historical data from four countries in the European Union. However, in recent years, there is a lack of productivity studies focusing on input and output variables according to the GNP ratio of European countries. Therefore, it is thought that this study will make an important contribution to the existing literature.