The future of interurban passenger transport - bringing citizens closer together: Symposium summary and conclusions. 18th International Symposium on Transport Economics and Policy, Madrid, Spain, 16-18 November 2009

The Symposium brought together leading transport researchers from around the world to explore a range of issues under the general theme of 'the future for interurban passenger transport'. A first set of papers investigates what drives demand for interurban passenger transport and infers how it may evolve in the future. The remaining papers investigate transport policy issues that emerge as key challenges from the long-run view on demand: when to invest in high-speed rail, how to regulate to ensure efficient operation, how to assign infrastructure to different types of users (e.g. cars and trucks), what role for information provision, and how to manage environmental impacts. Closing remarks summarized insights from the discussions from an academic and policy-making perspective.