Our graduate receives the Max Brauer Foundation's Prize from the Hamburg Hochbahn

We warmly congratulate Kristof Halasz on receiving first prize from the “Bürgermeister Dr. h.c. Max-Brauer Foundation for the Promotion of Talented Students” of Hamburger Hochbahn. The prize is awarded every two years to student theses that make a valuable contribution to the further development of local public transport and present innovative solutions.

In 2024, Kristof Halasz completed and successfully defended his master’s thesis at our Chair on the topic “The Rail Bonus in Local Public Transport – An Empirical Analysis of Preferences for Rail-Based Modes of Transport.” In his thesis, he investigated whether rail-based modes of transport are preferred even when all other parameters, such as travel time and costs, are identical.

“What deserves particular emphasis is the exceptional degree of independence with which Kristof Halasz carried out his research. He developed the topic and research question himself, succeeded in collecting almost 900 fully completed questionnaires for his empirical analysis through extraordinary commitment, and, alongside his studies, completed training as a tram driver in order to gain additional practical experience,” emphasizes his supervisor, Anna Schütze.

The findings of the thesis not only confirm results from the existing literature but also extend them by providing new scientific insights. They contribute to more accurate forecasts of passenger numbers when transport systems are converted or newly constructed, thereby enabling more realistic benefit–cost assessments. In this context, Kristof Halasz also proposes solutions for how the rail bonus could be given greater consideration in Germany’s Standardized Evaluation procedure in the future.

The thesis is therefore not only a scientific achievement but also makes an important and practice-oriented contribution to the further development of local public transport. The award of first prize by the Max-Brauer Foundation recognizes this outstanding accomplishment. We warmly congratulate Kristof Halasz and wish him continued success.

Anna Schütze, M.Sc. (Supervisor)
Prof. Dr. Georg Hirte (First Examiner)
Dr. habil. Stefan Tscharaktschiew (Second Examiner)