Ticket to impact: estimating the impact of public transport infrastructure for research productivity 

Investments in transport infrastructure, particularly the railways, are a hotly contested topic in the UK. However, the importance of connectivity for the innovation system is rarely discussed in this context. Yet, in a world where research and innovation are based on bigger and bigger teams and more interdisciplinary than ever, the ability to interact with collaborators is crucial. Despite advances in digital technology, face-to-face interaction remains important.

This report shows that rail connectivity, particularly reliability, is important for the productivity of collaborative research projects. Specifically, collaborative projects that are linked by a more reliable railway connection publish on average more research publications than those beset by delays. The report joins up the Gateway to Research + database of UK Research and Innovation funded projects with connection data from TravelTime API and rail performance measures from the Office for Rail and Road. An increase in delays on the route connecting project partners is associated with a drop in the number of project outputs. For the average project, this amounts to about one publication less for a 15 percentage point drop in the share of trains arriving on time. These effects are driven by projects with the poorest connectivity.