International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

In the Czech Republic, the rail transport market has been liberalized for several years – in addition to public services, commercial services of individual rail carriers operate too. Public services in long-distance rail transport are ordered by the Czech Ministry of Transport. In December 2019, the 10-year contract between Czech Ministry of Transport and Czech Railways will end. The approaching end of this contract was connected with great interest of other rail carriers, which led to the fact, that the Czech Ministry of Transport demanded individual long-distance rail lines in the form of so called “market consultations”. Preparing of the operational performance of individual long-distance rail lines for the needs of market consultations was a great challenge on the field of transport-planning. As a result, from December 2019 there will operate 4 different rail carriers in ordered long-distance rail transport in The Czech Republic and this situation is unique in its form and unparalleled throughout the EU.

With the development of digital technology and especially the possibilities for electronic publishing Open access publishing is becoming more and more a global phenomenon. Open access means unrestricted online access to scholarly research and research data. The paper presents the common definitions, the types and vehicles for delivering Open access to scientific publications. Because of its economic efficiency, the potential economic benefits of Open access might have an impact on many other groups besides the users and the authors themselves – publishers, scientific institutions, specific industries, etc. Economic effects of OA are analysed through the concept of its benefits which could generally be divided into two groups – individual and collective. Besides the economic benefits, one must also consider the “price” of OA, as well as its limitations. Together with the effects of Open access that support the development of science, its use could be regarded as a means to increase social welfare as well.