The purpose of this paper is to examine the advancement of the European transportation system. The proposal by the railway authorities in 14 countries for a high-speed railway network is used as an application for conveying general thoughts. The paper looks at transport system logic, applies ways of complex reasoning, and discusses strategic dilemmas of the proposal. The analysis results stress the extreme importance of carefully assessing the effects of a transportation initiative. Often several dimensions of societal interests are left out, partly because of lack of methods to accomplish the analysis needed. There is a strong pressure on the community of researchers and the research organizations to develop and provide the necessary concepts and tools for analysis, that will enhance the possibilities of formulating transportation strategies - strategies from different actor's point of view. Two research tracks to follow are suggested - one regarding the logic governing the actors involved and affected by the high-speed initiative, and the other regarding studies in empirical, holistic systems dynamics of a transportation project.
Abstract