This study analyses various methods of evaluating a prospective investment in transport infrastructure. It begins with an in-depth analysis and evaluation of the principal existing evaluation methods, including the social cost-benefit analysis and the economic effects analysis, among others. The second part briefly discusses the theoretical foundations of the various evaluation methods and analyses their strengths and weaknesses. the third part introduces a new evaluation method in the form of a multicriteria analysis. This method is called an `eclectic multicriteria analysis'. It is said to be `eclectic' because it provides a socially-acceptable and scientifically-based synthesis of the relevant elements which existing evaluation tools are able to assess only separately. The study concludes by presenting the strengths of the eclectic evaluation method and the areas where it might be improved. (A)
Abstract