Transport appraisal review

An independent review, commissioned to identify improvements to and build confidence in DfT’s recommended appraisal methods, which are used to inform transport investment decisions.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has commissioned an expert panel to conduct an independent review of our appraisal methods. Insights from this review will shape the next Appraisal, Modelling and Evaluation Strategy (AMES), setting the direction for how transport projects are appraised in the coming 5 years and help to build confidence in our transport analysis guidance (TAG).   

The review aims to identify improvements to and build confidence in the methods used to inform DfT’s transport investment decisions.

Objectives and scope of the review

The aims of the review are to:

  • clarify whether we have confidence in TAG as a framework for assessing the costs and benefits of transport schemes, which allows for fair comparison between different project scales, geographic locations and transport modes
  • assist the Transport Appraisal and Strategic Modelling (TASM) division in devising a final Appraisal, Modelling and Evaluation Strategy (AMES) that addresses the most important gaps in TAG

To achieve these aims, the review will produce the following outputs by February 2026:

  • a high-level review of transport appraisal principles, theories and methods – this will cover the full range of possible environmental, social and economic impacts, particularly those which are most important when assessing value for money (VfM)
  • an assessment TAG’s fitness for purpose, considering its strengths and weaknesses, and evaluating of how any deficiencies may impact on quantifying value for money
  • an assessment of how well TAG captures scheme benefits and the extent to which it enables fair comparison between different scheme types, transport modes and geographic areas
  • an expert peer review of the draft AMES, which assesses its suitability to shape transport modelling and appraisal for the next 5 years and provides recommendations on how the AMES could address any shortcomings identified in TAG

Membership

Tony Venables CBE FBA (panel chair)

Tony Venables is a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford and part-time research professor at Monash University, Melbourne. He is a fellow of the Econometric Society, the Regional Science Association, the British Academy and the Royal Economic Society. Former positions include Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford and at London School of Economics and Political Science and Chief Economist at the Department for International Development.

Bridget Rosewell (CBE)

Bridget Rosewell is director, policy maker and economist, with experience in advising public and private sector clients on strategic issues. She chairs Flood Re and the M6 Toll Company and is a non-executive for the National Wealth Fund, Northumbrian Water and the Atomic Weapons Establishment. Previous roles include Chair of Atom Bank, a Commissioner for the National Infrastructure Commission, Senior Independent Director for Network Rail and Chief Economic Adviser to the Greater London Authority.

Diane Coyle (DBE)

Diane Coyle is the Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and Research Director of the Bennett School of Public Policy. Her research focuses on the economics of AI and digital, and on economic measurement. Diane is a member of the Industrial Strategy Council and advises the Competition and Markets Authority. She previously served as Vice Chair of the BBC Trust and as a member of the Competition Commission, the Natural Capital Committee and the New Towns Taskforce.

Dan Graham

Dan Graham is Professor of Statistical Modelling in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London (ICL), Director of the ICL Transport Strategy Centre and Head of the ICL Centre for Transport Engineering and Modelling. Dan is also a Project Partner of the Data Centric Engineering Program at the Alan Turing Institute and a Fellow of both the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications and of the Royal Statistical Society. He is a visiting Professor at Zhejiang University and South East University in China.

Greg Marsden

Greg is Professor of Transport Governance at the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds. He holds a PhD in urban pollution modelling and has researched issues surrounding the design and implementation of transport policies in different institutional settings for over 20 years. He leads the ‘place’ theme in the National Energy Demand Research Centre, is Director of the INFUZE project and is a Trustee of the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund. 

Tom Worsley CBE (providing technical advice to the panel)

Tom Worsley is visiting fellow at the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds and previously spent more than 35 years as an economist at DfT. He has experience in using economic analysis to make policy and investment decisions, having been responsible for developing economic appraisal, modelling and forecasting methods. He acted as a special adviser to the Parliamentary Economic Affairs and the Treasury Select Committees and has chaired several round tables convened by the International Transport Forum. Tom was commissioned to advise the government of Estonia on the economic appraisal of transport projects and is a member of DfT’s Joint Analysis Development Panel.

Contents