A study was initiated by the Martin-Luther-University, Halle-Wittenberg in collaboration with the major German rail operator, the Deutsche Bahn AG to investigate the environmental effects of the rail transport system in depth, but with a restricted set of key indicators calculated from the collected data. The resource consumption caused by traction, manufacturing and maintenance of ICE trains, as well as construction and operation of the supporting rail infrastructure and buildings have been evaluated using cumulative energy demand (CED), cumulative material input per service unit (MIPS) and CO2 emissions as indicators. For the reference route (Hanover-Wuerzburg) the CED of the infrastructure contributes 13 % to the total CED per 100 person kilometres, whilst the energy demand of the traction process dominates the life cycle. Primary-energy active components within infrastructure are the construction of tunnels and the heating of rail points during winter time. The energy requirement for maintaining the railway stations is a minor factor in comparison. The environmental impact of new technologies for designing rail tracks has also been analysed. The new ballastless slab rack technology competes favourably due to higher life expectancy. The greatest impact on the CED of the transport system will have efforts to reduce traction energy consumption.
Ecology profile of the German high-speed rail passenger transport, ICE
Ökologieprofil des deutschen Hochgeschwindigkeitszuges ICE
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment ; 8 , 2 ; 83-91
2003
9 Seiten, 3 Bilder, 6 Tabellen, 16 Quellen
Article (Journal)
English
West German`s high-speed rail transport Projects
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