European development economists have argued that the existence of modern rail infrastructure is a significant indicator of a country's economic advancement: this perspective is illustrated notably through the Basic Rail Transportation Infrastructure Index (known as BRTI Index).
Ekonom pembangunan Eropa berpendapat bahwa keberadaan infrastruktur kereta api modern merupakan indikator signifikan dari kemajuan ekonomi suatu negara: perspektif ini diilustrasikan terutama melalui Basic Rail Transportation Infrastructure Index (dikenal sebagai Indeks BRTI).