The missing component in rail charging modeling–access charges principle selection

The motive of this research is the fact that until now no universal model of access charges (AC) has been defined. In the process of modeling, the AC principle is one of the key elements for defining the AC. In this paper, a model for the AC principle selection based on the analytic network process (ANP) approach is proposed. The developed model presents the objectives of the identified stakeholders through the established criteria from three different perspectives: the government influence, railway market environment, and efficiency of network use. Based on the results of a research, network structure of the ANP method can successfully resolve the dependence and conflicts among evaluation criteria for the AC principle selection. The proposed ANP‐based model can become a tool for evaluation and ranking of the AC principle as shown in the case study of the Serbian Railways. This paper is based on real data.