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Passenger And Freight Transportation Systems

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Passenger and freight transportation systems have a number of similarities in the investment evaluation process, with a few significant differences. The table below offers an initial look at the stakeholders for each and their relative financial interests. As this table illustrates, many of the stakeholders are similar. However, there are significant differences in the asset providers and those entities with a direct financial interest. This variance drives major differences in the evaluation of investment in projects in either area, freight or passenger transportation. In freight operations, most often the assets are provided by private firms with a direct interest in the operation of freight transportation services on the asset. In most passenger transportation systems, the asset provider is a public entity, such as a transit authority. For purposes of the asset provider financial discussion relative to investment, there is a cost and benefit analysis that always takes place. These elements are generally described as, for cost elements, facility capital costs (dictated by site location and design, as well as the partners involved in the planning process), facility maintenance costs (ongoing costs of maintaining a facility to ensure safe operations and upkeep), and operating costs (such as labor costs, fuel costs, equipment costs, and the time lost to congestion or to the breakdown of efficient supply chains). Regarding benefits, other impact factors include capacity

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