Cost-benefit analysis methodology for new rail vehicle concepts with alternative powertrain systems

• Recently, there have been increasing efforts to reactivate secondary railway lines • Infrastructure expenditure accounts for a significant share of total expenditure • Smaller rail vehicle can help reduce the costs of operating low utilized rail lines There is currently an increased interest in the reactivation of secondary railway lines in Germany. These lines are mostly in bad condition and are not electrified. As diesel-powered vehicles are to be phased out in the future, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, emission-free vehicles are required. Market available vehicles are too large and not suited to the needs of low-frequency secondary lines. Due to the high cost of track electrification, vehicles with alternative drive systems are brought into focus. In addition, high infrastructure costs are incurred for track reactivation. The aim of this work is to develop a comprehensive evaluation approach for a cost-benefit analysis to analyse the economic viability of low frequented railway lines and lines to be reactivated. The advantages of small rail vehicles were discussed on the basis of two tracks to be reactivated and two lines currently in operation. Based on these operational scenarios, cost analyses and cost-benefit analyses were carried out using four different types of vehicles. A sensitivity analysis was used to analyse the impact of passenger utilization and reactivation costs on economic viability. The results show the significant influence of infrastructure-related costs associated with reactivating tracks, as well as track access charges and station fees for tracks in operation. Small vehicle concepts such as rail buses can contribute to cost-efficient operation on low-frequency secondary lines. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the factors influencing the economic viability of rail operations on lines with low passenger utilization rates.