4. Economic Assessment

In this section, we introduce a methodology for evaluating the competitiveness of low-carbon rail alternatives.

This methodology is based on an assessment of the total social cost (TSC), which includes the total cost of ownership (TCO), the total external cost (TEC), and public finances (FiPu). These traditional approaches, although they are widely recognized cost analysis methodologies in the field of transportation economics  , are not always used in conjunction to assess the competitiveness of carbon-free...