ABSTRACT
Liberalization and deregulation efforts characterize current developments of global markets. One observes a gradual liberalization of international trade as well as deregulation of markets for goods and services. As a consequence, worldwide economic interweaving increased over the last decades. Growing globalization of economic activities has been enforced by recent political developments. Political integration in Europe removed borders and increased mobility of production factors, goods and services. Above all, transportation and telecommunication networks are important conditions to meet the needs of a global economy. Freight transport markets in Europe, like other service markets, have been affected by deregulation tendencies. While road freight transport is gradually being liberalized, rail transport is still dominated by national monopolies. This is not only relevant for rail transport but also for intermodal transport which is seen as a future solution to congestion and environmental pollution. Moreover, demanders of freight transport services became more quality oriented due to increased factor mobility and pretentious logistics concepts. The most important qualities for shippers are reliability and transport time. Demanded quality standards have to be met by any competitive provider to stay in the market. Regulative settings affect the competitive behaviour of service providers due to their impact on relative prices.
