TRANSPORT CONCEPTS

Click here for a complete list of all publications by Louis S. Thompson (PDF 73 KB).

• Enhancing Railway Competition in China Structural and Regulatory Options, Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, Volume 58, Part 2, April 2024, pp. 173–206, Jianhong Wu, Zhaoxia Kang, Russell Pittman, and Louis S. Thompson. Copy available upon request to Lou Thompson.


• High Speed Rail: California in Context, Chapman University Conference on High-Speed Rail, Chapman University, Orange, CA, Louis S. Thompson, March 20, 2019


• Railroad Movement of Frac Sand in the U.S.: Costs and Tariffs, April 17, 2017. Louis S. Thompson.


• What is Rail Efficiency and How Can it be Changed? Discussion Paper No. 2014-23, International Transport Forum, Paris, November 2014. Louis S. Thompson and Heiner Bente.


• Alternative Funding and Financing Mechanisms for Passenger and Freight Rail Projects, NCRRP Report 1, Transportation Research Board, 201, CPCS, HWTSK, TGA, First Class Partnerships and Portscape. Louis S. Thompson.


• Past and Future of Intercity and Commuter Rail Passenger Service in the U.S. Institute for Transportation Economics, "Transportation and Economy," Tokyo, July 2014. Louis S. Thompson.


• Peer Review of Freight Railway Development in Mexico. Report of the International Transport Forum, February 2014. Steve Perkins, Paul Amos, Jorge Kohon and Louis S. Thompson.


• Recent Developments in Rail Transportation Services - Issues Paper. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Working Party No. 2 on Competition and Regulation, June 17, 2013.


• Developments in Rail Organization in the Americas, 1990 to Present and Future Directions. Louis S. Thompson and Jorge C. Kohon, Elsevier, Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management, Volume 2, Issue 3, 10 December 2012, Pages 51-62.


• Railway Infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa. (PDF 4,163 KB). Louis S. Thompson. Africa Infrastructure Investment Report, Commonwealth Business Council, London, March 2013, page 130.


• A Further Look at the Staggers Act: Mining the Available Data. Gerard J. McCullough and Louis S. Thompson. Elsevier, Research in Transportation Business and Management, 2012, 10.1016/j.rtbm.2012.11.009.


• We Keep On Truckin': Trends in Freight Energy Use and Carbon Emissions in 11 IEA Countries. Jiyong Eom, Lee Schipper and Louis S. Thompson. Energy Policy #45, June 2012, pages 327-341, Elsevier Publishing.


• Workshop Report - Measuring Investment in Transport Infrastructure (PDF 366 KB). Paris, France, February 9 and 10, 2012. Prepared by Louis Thompson of Thompson, Galenson & Associates, LLC.


• Reforming Europe's Railways - Learning from Experience (PDF 3,310 KB). Second edition 2011, produced by Jeremy Drew and Johannes Ludewig. Published by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies - CER, Brussels, Belgium.


• Louis S. Thompson, Transport, Environment and Institutions: Why Good Science, Engineering and Economics Fail, in Rothengatter, Hayashi and Schade editors, "Transport Moving to Climate Intelligence," Springer Science+ Business Media, New York, 2011.


• In the Matter of the dispute between AS Eesti Raudtee and AS Spacecom, Statement of Louis S. Thompson, January 20, 2011.


• High Speed Rail Passenger Services: World Experience and U.S. Applications (corrected version 9-20-11) (PDF 4,387 KB). Yuki Tanaka, Louis S. Thompson. Report prepared with the support of the Institution for Transport Policy Studies, Japan International Transport Institute (JITI), Tokyo, Japan.


• High-Speed Rail in the U.S. - Potential and Impact on CO2 Emissions (PDF1,068 KB). Yuki Tanaka, Louis S. Thompson, Lee Schipper, Andrew Kosinski, Elizabeth Deakin, prepared for the 12th World Conference on Transport Research, July 11-15, 2010, Lisbon, Portugal.


• A Vision for Railways in 2050 (PDF 467 KB). Louis S. Thompson, prepared for the International Transport Forum 2010, Leipzig, Germany, May 26-28, 2010.


• Liberalization and Commercialization of the World's Railways: Progress and Key Regulatory Issues. Louis S. Thompson, prepared for the International Transport Forum, Leipzig, Germany, May 26-29, 2009.


• Railway and Ports Organization in the Republic of South Africa and Turkey: The Integrator's Paradise? (PDF 946 KB). Louis S. Thompson, January 2009. Discussion Paper No. 2009-5 prepared for the OECD/ITF Round Table of 5-6 February, 2009 on Integration and Competition Between Transport and Logistics Businesses.


• Railway Access Charges in the EU: Current Status and Developments Since 2004 (PDF 529 KB). Louis S. Thompson, December 2008. This report, which is also available on the International Transport Forum (ITF) Website, updates the information on rail infrastructure charges published in Railway Reform and Charges for the Use of Infrastructure, OECD-ECMT 2005.


• Full version of Table Three (XLS 125 KB) from ITF report. Railway Access Charges in the EU: Current Status and Development Since 2004.


• Public Transportation in the U.S.: History and Current Status (PDF 1.4 MB). Louis S. Thompson, March 17, 2008.


• Competitive Tendering of Rail Services. Published by the European Conference of Ministers of Transport, October 2007.


• Spoornet and Transnet Sectoral Reference Paper, Report for the World Bank and the Government of the Republic of South Africa, Louis S. Thompson, October 31, 2007.


• TRN-36: Railways in Development: Global Round-Up 1996-2005 (PDF 179 KB). Paul Amos and Louis S. Thompson, September 2007. This Transport Note was prepared as an adjunct to the 2006-07 updating of the World Bank's Railways Databases.


• Key Trends and Implications for Policy Change in Long-Term Rail Freight Traffic and Infrastructure by Louis S. Thompson. Chapter 5 in OECD publication Infrastructure to 2030 (Volume 2): Mapping Policy for Electricity, Water and Transport, available August 2007.


• Railway Accounts for Effective Regulation. Published May 2007 by the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT).


• Regulatory Reform of Railways in Russia: An Update as of April 2007. (PDF 330 KB). Prepared by Louis Thompson of Thompson, Galenson ∧ Associates, LLC for the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Report forms part of the OECD's program of cooperation with the Russian Federation.


• Options for Federal Ownership of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) Infrastructure. (PDF 1,736 KB). Louis S. Thompson, January 2006.


• Rail Reform and Charges for the Use of Infrastructure: Conclusions and Recommendations. Published by the European Conference of Ministers of Transport, November 2005.


• TP-2: Privatizing British Railways: Are There Lessons for the World Bank and Its Borrowers? (PDF 1,068 KB). Louis S. Thompson, September 2004. Authored by Lou Thompson, recently retired as the World Bank's Railways Adviser, this paper was written to see what lessons Britain's experience of rail privatization might have for the Bank's client countries.


• Regulatory Reform of Railways in Russia, Updated Summary and Conclusions. Published by the European Conference of Ministers of Transport and available at the ITF Website. February 2005.


• New Rail Passenger Structure in the United States: Using Experience from the E.U., Japan and Latin America. Louis S. Thompson, November 2003.


• Changing Railway Structure and Ownership: Is Anything Working? Louis S. Thompson. Transport Reviews, 2003, Vol. 23, No. 3, 311-355. Copies can be obtained from the publisher or, upon application, from lou.thompson@gmail.com.


• Modal Shares in Transport: Significance for the Development of India. (PDF 329 KB). Louis S. Thompson, Railways Adviser, World Bank and Jitendra Sondhi, Management Consultant. December 2002. Draft document only; never published.


• What Role for Railways in Eastern Europe - Conclusions of Round Table 120. (PDF 54 KB). Published by the European Conference of Ministers of Transport, February 2002.


• Article in Railway Economics Research, Economics and Planning Research Institute of China, February 2000. Railway Reform in China: The Great Railway Challenge, (PDF 42 KB). Louis S.Thompson, Hennie Deboeck and Richard Spero.


• Railway Passenger Service (PDF 155 KB). Louis S. Thompson. Macmillan Encyclopedia of Energy, ed. John Zumerchik, pp 969-976, Macmillan Reference USA, New York, 2001.


• Railways in Eastern Europe (PDF 435 KB), European Conference of Ministers of Transport held in Cambridge England, September 12 to 13, 2001.


• Private Investment in Railways: Experience from South and North America, Africa and New Zealand (PDF 549 KB). Louis S. Thompson, Railways Adviser, The World Bank, Karim-Jacques Budin, Lead Railway Specialist, The World Bank and Antonio Estache, Lead Specialist, The World Bank. European Transport Conference, September 2001.


• Directions of Railway Reform (PDF 464 KB). International Railway Congress Association meeting held in Vienna, Austria, September 25 to 28, 2001.


• Better Ways to Deliver and Fund Regional and Suburban Passenger Rail Services. (9.45MB PDF) Proceedings of a workshop held in Colmar, France, June 13 to 15, 2001.


• Investment Issues and Analysis in Concessioned Railways: Experience in the Argentine Freight Concessions. (138 KB PDF) Louis S. Thompson. Rail Business International (Rail Gazette), January 2001.


• Argentine Rail Freight Concessioning: Achievements and Challenges: Report for the World Bank, John Broadley and Lou Thompson, November 30, 2000.


• Railway Developments in Transition Economies (PDF 243 KB). Louis S. Thompson. Japan Railway & Transport Review, September 1999.


• Rail Service and Poverty (PDF 456 KB). Louis S. Thompson. The Commonwealth Ministers Reference Book 1999/2000, Kensington Publications Ltd, London, July 1999, page 220.


• The World Bank, Transport, and The Environment (PDF 939 KB). Richard O. Ackermann, Kenneth M. Gwilliam and Louis S. Thompson. Japan Railway & Transport Review, December 1998.


• The World Bank’s Involvement in Railway Restructuring: Applications in Turkey, Louis S. Thompson, December 4, 1997.


• The Benefits of Separating Rail Infrastructure from Operations. Louis S. Thompson. World Bank Viewpoint Note No. 135, December, 1997.


• Global Trend to Railway Concessions Delivering Positive Results (PDF 200 KB). Louis S. Thompson and Karim-Jacques Budin. World Bank Viewpoint Note No. 134, December, 1997.


• Shaping the Railway of the 21st Century, remarks by Louis S. Thompson at the UIC 75 Anniversary Celebration, Paris, France, June 19, 1997.


• World Bank Support for Developing Railways of the World (PDF 835 KB). Louis S. Thompson. Japan Railway & Transport Review, June 1997.


• Concessions in Transport, Main Text (PDF 118 KB), and Appendix (PDF 179 KB). Nicola Shaw, Kenneth Gwilliam and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank, Discussion Paper Series No. TWU 27, October, 1996.


• Best Methods of Railway Restructuring and Privatization (PDF 6.2 MB). Ron Kopicki and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank, CFS Discussion Paper Series, Number 111, August 1995.


• Energy Use in the Transport Sector (PDF 4.2 MB). Julie Fraser, Shiva Swaminathan and Louis S. Thompson. March 1995. This report is in draft form and was not published.


• The Evolution of the World Bank's Railway Lending (PDF 7.8 MB). Alice Galenson and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank, World Bank Discussion Paper, No. 269, 1994.


• Purchasing Power Parity Adjusted Railway Performance (PDF 51 KB). Julia Fraser and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank Infrastructure Note No. RW-9, December, 1994.


• High Speed Rail (HSR) in the United States: Why isn't there more? (PDF 2.7 MB). Louis S. Thompson. Japan Railway and Transport Review, October 1994.


• Reshaping Argentina's Railways (PDF 1.5 MB). Jorge H. Kogan and Louis S. Thompson. Japan Railway & Transport Review, June 1994.


• Railways, Energy and the Environment (PDF 1.4 MB). Kenneth Gwilliam, Louis S. Thompson and Zmarak Shalizi. World Bank, TWU 6, March, 1994.


• Forms of Private Sector Participation in Railways (PDF 1.3 MB). Alice Galenson and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank, TWU 9, December, 1993.


• World Bank's Railways Database (PDF 51 KB). Julia Fraser and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank Infrastructure Note No. RW-6, October, 1993.


• Forms of Private Sector Participation in Railways (PDF 51 KB). Alice Galenson and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank Infrastructure Note No. RW-5, June, 1993.


• Railway Reform in the Central and Eastern European Economies (PDF 1.7 MB). Philip W. Blackshaw and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank, WPS 1137, May, 1993.


• Trapped in the Forecast, An Economic Field of Dreams (PDF 19 KB). Louis S. Thompson. Transportation Research Board, TR News No. 165, April, 1993.


• Transport Strategies for the Russian Federation (PDF 19.6 MB). Jane Holt, [with Hans Peters and Louis S. Thompson as acknowledged but unlisted authors]. World Bank, Studies of Economies in Transformation, No. 9, 1993.


• The Evolution of Railroad Regulation in the US. Louis S. Thompson in Regulatory Reform in Transport, Some Recent Experiences, (PDF 8.9 MB) edited by Jose Carbajo. World Bank Symposium Paper, 1993.


• What Determines Demand for Freight Transport (PDF 2.8 MB). Esra Bennathan, Julia Fraser and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank, WPS 998, October, 1992.


• Options for Reshaping the Railway (PDF 5.2 MB). Neil E. Moyer and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank, WPS 926, June, 1992.


• Privatization Problems at Industry Level: Road Haulage in Central Europe (PDF 4.6 MB). Esra Bennathan and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank Discussion Paper No. 182, 1992.


• Reforming and Privatizing Hungary's Road Haulage (PDF 2.9 MB). Esra Bennathan, Jeffrey Gutman and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank, WPS 790, October 1991.


• Reforming and Privatizing Poland's Road Freight Industry (PDF 3.92 MB). Esra Bennathan, Jeffrey Gutman and Louis S. Thompson. World Bank, WPS 750, August 1991.


• Pricing and Costing Issues in Railway Marketing, Report for the World Bank, Louis S. Thompson, May 1, 1990.


• Techniques for Railway Restructuring, (PDF 137 KB). Lee W. Huff and Louis S. Thompson, Union of African Railways, Sub-Saharan Transport Project Program, October 1989.


• High Speed Rail (PDF 6.8 MB). Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Technology Review. Louis S. Thompson. April 1986.


• The Northeast Corridor Project (PDF 11 MB). Henry M. Shaw Lecture in Civil Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, North Carolina State University. Louis S. Thompson. November 1982. (Most photographs have been omitted. Copies of any missing photographs or pictures are available upon request.)