Design of new transportation infrastructure

New projects require intense planning of location, transport type, and financing structure. Transportation planners must meet the needs of various stakeholders while optimizing for efficiency, sustainability, and adaptability.

Road infrastructure projects in Europe are financed through a variety of models, primarily involving Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and concessions. Historically, roads have been the largest sector for PPP investment, with numerous social infrastructure projects in the pipeline indicating a strong focus on infrastructure development through these partnerships. Concessions are also common, where private companies finance, construct, and maintain roads, often collecting tolls to fund their operations. These concessions can involve different levels of traffic risk, including toll roads, shadow toll roads, and availability payment models. Incentives to use electric vehicles (EVs) may reduce revenue as EVs become increasingly common.

Government initiatives and EU regulations play a significant role in railway planning in Europe. For instance, the European Green Deal and national regulations promote railway travel, and specific legislation like the ERTMS aims to standardize technology across the continent. Planning prioritizes both passenger and freight rail, with dedicated projects and funding to create additional rail capacity or dedicated lines for freight. This includes modernizing infrastructure to handle increased passenger kilometres and shifting freight from road to rail. Similar to roads, rail projects also frequently rely on PPPs and concessions for funding, though railway PPPs can have particularly complex PPP structures with large consortia (up to 20) of partners.

Key considerations for transportation infrastructure planning include expected demand (e.g., commuter v. freight), safety, environmental & cultural impact, interconnectivity, regulations & permitting, and cost & financing.