Impact of Transport Infrastructure Investment on Regional Development

The mission of the OECD Programme of Research on Road Transport and Intermodal Linkages
(RTR) is to promote economic development in its Member countries by enhancing transport safety,
efficiency and sustainability through a co-operative research programme on road and intermodal
transport. To achieve this objective, the Programme recommends options for the development and
implementation of effective transport policies for Members, and encourages outreach activities for
non-member countries. All 30 Member countries participate in the Programme.
The 1998-2000 Programme of Work included a Working Group on “Effects of Transport
Infrastructure Investment on Regional Development”. The Working Group was chaired by
Mr. Michael Walsh (United Kingdom) and the following countries participated in the study: Belgium,
Canada, France Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the
United Kingdom.
The Working Group investigated current evaluation studies of major transport infrastructure
projects in OECD Member countries with an aim to identify impacts of transport infrastructure
investment on regional development and to improve current appraisal methodologies.