Highlights Ecological and geological models were mobilized for railway corridor planning. Sustainability criteria were developed for design and evaluation. Conflicts between criteria and data weaknesses were identified. The model could identify synergies between criteria in the local landscape.

    Abstract Transport infrastructure is closely linked to several sustainability issues of main policy relevance, and significant impacts on biodiversity as well as resource use and construction costs relate to the corridor design and location in the landscape. The aim of this study was to develop methods for railway corridor planning, in which corridor design and location would be based on important ecological and geological sustainability criteria. The method, an MCA framework including both spatial and non-spatial MCA, was demonstrated on a railway planning proposition in an urbanising area north of Stockholm, Sweden. Alternative spatial alignments for 6 railway corridors were derived based on criteria representing biodiversity, resource efficiency and costs, developed from ecological and geological knowledge, data and models. The method identified a study area specific positive synergy between ecological and geological sustainability criteria. The evaluation part of the methodology could furthermore identify uncertainties in the input data and assumptions and conflicts between ecological criteria. In order to arrive at a well-informed decision support system, the criteria as well as the decision rules employed could be further elaborated. Other relevant sustainability issues would also need to be integrated, such as cultural landscapes, recreation, and other ecosystem services. Still, arriving at a corridor design informed by the ecological and geological conditions in the planned area, as demonstrated by this study, could improve the sustainability performance of transport infrastructure planning.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Design and evaluation of railway corridors based on spatial ecological and geological criteria


    Contributors:
    Karlson, M. (author) / Karlsson, C.S.J. (author) / Mörtberg, U. (author) / Olofsson, B. (author) / Balfors, B. (author)


    Publication date :

    2016-01-01


    Size :

    22 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English





    ROADS AS ECOLOGICAL CORRIDORS

    Permanent International Association of Road Congresses | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2004


    Dedicated freight corridors on Indian Railway

    Agarwal, V. K. | IuD Bahn | 2006


    Multi-objective periodic railway timetabling on dense heterogeneous railway corridors

    Yan, Fei / Bešinović, Nikola / Goverde, Rob M.P. | Elsevier | 2019


    Railway Corridors within Croatian Cities: Obstacles or Opportunities?

    Jurković, Željka / Hadzima-Nyarko, Marijana / Lovoković, Danijela | Springer Verlag | 2022