Early public participation in rail infrastructure projects. Evaluation of various model approaches

The project investigates the effect of early public participation in rail infrastructure projects. Through early public participation, which was incorporated into the Administrative Procedure Act in 2012, the project developer is to involve potentially affected parties at a point in time when the project planning has not yet been completed. This early participation can enable issues from the public to be taken up in good time and taken into account in further planning. The legislator's aim is to make the process more efficient and expeditious. However, the regulation's requirements are not very specific. In this context, early public participation is used in many rail infrastructure projects, among others. Based on selected examples of project planning in this area, the study examines which approach can be considered successful and also which factors constitute early public participation that is considered a success from all perspectives.