IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i18p13754-d1240270.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Environmental Impact Evaluation as a Key Element in Ensuring Sustainable Development of Rail Transport

Author

Listed:
  • Julia Milewicz

    (Institute of Transport, Poznan University of Technology, 61-138 Poznań, Poland)

  • Daniel Mokrzan

    (Institute of Transport, Poznan University of Technology, 61-138 Poznań, Poland)

  • Grzegorz M. Szymański

    (Institute of Transport, Poznan University of Technology, 61-138 Poznań, Poland)

Abstract

The development of railways stands as a pivotal milestone in the history of transportation, transforming the world and revolutionising the movement of people and goods. From their humble beginnings as rudimentary track systems to the sophisticated and interconnected networks we witness today, railways have played a crucial role in fostering economic growth, promoting globalisation, and shaping modern societies. Moreover, as the world grapples with the urgent need to mitigate climate change and transition to sustainable modes of transportation, the role of railways has gained significant attention. Railways have long been recognised as one of the most environmentally friendly means of mass transit, offering lower carbon emissions, energy efficiency, and reduced congestion compared to other transportation modes. However, there are still many challenges to overcome to provide continuous sustainability in the context of environmental impacts, especially related to wildlife and habitat protection. This scientific paper aims to explore the concept of sustainability in the context of railways, providing a comprehensive analysis of their environmental influences. As a result, the authors present a complex analysis of the topic, combining different perspectives—ecological, engineering, and legislative. They present methods of reducing noise pollution—constructional and legal ways; emission pollution reduction associated with combustion engines; and innovative analysis of limiting the impact of transportation on natural habitats and forest animal populations, which is not yet sufficiently elaborated scientifically in the literature. By examining key strategies, technologies, and policy frameworks, this research sheds light on the challenges and opportunities related to sustainability within the railway industry around the world.

Suggested Citation

  • Julia Milewicz & Daniel Mokrzan & Grzegorz M. Szymański, 2023. "Environmental Impact Evaluation as a Key Element in Ensuring Sustainable Development of Rail Transport," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-16, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:18:p:13754-:d:1240270
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13754/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13754/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Levinson, David M., 2012. "Accessibility impacts of high-speed rail," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 288-291.
    2. Ilaria Henke & Armando Cartenì & Clorinda Molitierno & Assunta Errico, 2020. "Decision-Making in the Transport Sector: A Sustainable Evaluation Method for Road Infrastructure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, January.
    3. Henrike Rau & Joachim Scheiner, 2020. "Sustainable Mobility: Interdisciplinary Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-6, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Libor Ižvolt & Peter Dobeš & Zuzana Papánová & Martin Mečár, 2024. "Experimental Monitoring of Dynamic Parameters of the Sub-Ballast Layers as a Prerequisite for a High-Quality and Sustainable Railway Line," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-16, March.
    2. Marinella Giunta, 2023. "Trends and Challenges in Railway Sustainability: The State of the Art regarding Measures, Strategies, and Assessment Tools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-19, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Piotr Prus & Marek Sikora, 2021. "The Impact of Transport Infrastructure on the Sustainable Development of the Region—Case Study," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-15, March.
    2. Aryana Soliz, 2021. "Creating Sustainable Cities through Cycling Infrastructure? Learning from Insurgent Mobilities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-21, August.
    3. Marti-Henneberg, Jordi, 2015. "Attracting travellers to the high-speed train: a methodology for comparing potential demand between stations," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 145-156.
    4. Wu, Bingyu & Levinson, David M., 2024. "A multi-modal analysis of the effect of transport on population and productivity in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    5. David Hensher & Richard Ellison & Corinne Mulley, 2014. "Assessing the employment agglomeration and social accessibility impacts of high speed rail in Eastern Australia," Transportation, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 463-493, May.
    6. Cavallaro, Federico & Bruzzone, Francesco & Nocera, Silvio, 2020. "Spatial and social equity implications for High-Speed Railway lines in Northern Italy," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 327-340.
    7. Shao, Shuai & Tian, Zhihua & Yang, Lili, 2017. "High speed rail and urban service industry agglomeration: Evidence from China's Yangtze River Delta region," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 174-183.
    8. Mariano Gallo & Mario Marinelli, 2020. "Sustainable Mobility: A Review of Possible Actions and Policies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-39, September.
    9. (Ato) Xu, Wangtu & Zhou, Jiangping & Yang, Linchuan & Li, Ling, 2018. "The implications of high-speed rail for Chinese cities: Connectivity and accessibility," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 308-326.
    10. Wang, Shaobo & Zhou, Yutao & Guo, Jianke & Mao, Jinhuang, 2023. "Did high speed rail accelerate the development of tourism economy? – Empirical analysis from Northeast China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 25-35.
    11. Cao, Jing & Liu, Xiaoyue Cathy & Wang, Yinhai & Li, Qingquan, 2013. "Accessibility impacts of China’s high-speed rail network," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 12-21.
    12. Batara Surya & Hamsina Hamsina & Ridwan Ridwan & Baharuddin Baharuddin & Firman Menne & Andi Tenri Fitriyah & Emil Salim Rasyidi, 2020. "The Complexity of Space Utilization and Environmental Pollution Control in the Main Corridor of Makassar City, South Sulawesi, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-41, November.
    13. Simona Zapolskytė & Vaida Vabuolytė & Marija Burinskienė & Jurgita Antuchevičienė, 2020. "Assessment of Sustainable Mobility by MCDM Methods in the Science and Technology Parks of Vilnius, Lithuania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-19, November.
    14. D’Alfonso, Tiziana & Jiang, Changmin & Bracaglia, Valentina, 2015. "Would competition between air transport and high-speed rail benefit environment and social welfare?," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 118-137.
    15. Armando Cartenì & Ilaria Henke & Clorinda Molitierno & Luigi Di Francesco, 2020. "Strong Sustainability in Public Transport Policies: An e-Mobility Bus Fleet Application in Sorrento Peninsula (Italy)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-19, August.
    16. Zhao, Yun & Yu, Hongbo, 2018. "A door-to-door travel time approach for evaluating modal competition of intercity travel: A focus on the proposed Dallas-Houston HSR route," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 13-22.
    17. Li, Hongchang & Strauss, Jack & Shunxiang, Hu & Lui, Lu, 2018. "Do high-speed railways lead to urban economic growth in China? A panel data study of China’s cities," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 70-89.
    18. marie delaplace & sylvie bazin & francesca pagliara & Antonio Sposaro, 2014. "High Speed Rail System and the Tourism Market: Between Accessibility, Image and Coordination Tool," ERSA conference papers ersa14p282, European Regional Science Association.
    19. Xu, Wangtu (Ato) & Long, Ying & Zhang, Wei, 2019. "Prioritizing future funding and construction of the planned high-speed rail corridors of China – According to regional structure and urban land development potential indices," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 381-395.
    20. Federico Cavallaro & Francesco Bruzzone & Silvio Nocera, 2023. "Effects of high-speed rail on regional accessibility," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(5), pages 1685-1721, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:18:p:13754-:d:1240270. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.