Optimization of railway infrastructures rehabilitation based on multicriteria analysis

Abstract

The socio-economic objectives of transport projects are generally related to the improvement of travel conditions for goods and passengers as well as the improvement of the quality of the environment and the wellbeing of the served population. Railways infrastructure projects are always complex because of the many variables involved. In railway rehabilitation, in particular, social, economic and environmental variables take on considerable importance. These variables contribute strongly to the selection of the intervention project to be performed. Historically, multicriteria evaluation methods were developed to select the best alternative from a set of competing options. Multicriteria Analysis is applied for comparison of alternative projects, allowing taking into account different criteria simultaneously. It presents a framework in which all the stakeholders can participate actively in the process of decision making and in the explicit resolution of problems. The paper intends to frame the multicriteria analysis with the purpose of its implementation in railway investment projects concerning rehabilitation interventions. In this sense, its importance and potential will be highlighted for several stakeholders in the decision-making process, as well as the objectives and criteria definition for a practical implementation.