Abstract
The environmental footprints of China’s high-speed railway (HSR) have attracted much attention nationally and internationally. Although there is some research focusing on CO2 emissions, a comprehensive environmental impacts assessment of HSR construction is still lacking. In this study, the emissions of the Beijing–Tianjin intercity HSR line was calculated using a hybrid input–output life cycle assessment method to quantify the environmental impacts of HSR throughout its construction. The environmental footprints during the construction stage were analyzed in terms of different subsystems and sectors. The results showed that bridges contribute the largest environmental footprints at approximately 60%, followed by rail and electric multiple unit (EMU) systems. The top three sectors that contribute to pollutant emissions are the metal smelting and rolling industry, transport equipment manufacturing, and non-metallic mineral production. CO2 and NOx are the major pollutants directly emitted by site equipment operation. More chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and petroleum are emitted in EMU production than in rail construction, while NH3-N is emitted more in rails instead. Cd, Pb, As, and Hg are the significant pollutants in the metal smelting and rolling industry, whereas Cr, Cu, and Zn are the main heavy metal emissions in the transport equipment manufacturing sector. Heavy metals are the main types of environmental footprints in bridges, stations, and electric systems. Water pollutants are the main environmental impacts for rail and EMU systems, and the emissions of air pollutants are significant in subgrades. The production efficiency of upstream materials, desulfurization and denitration in fossil combustion, and the length of the bridge construction should be considered for an HSR under construction, in order to become environmentally friendly and sustainable.
Highlights
China’s high-speed railway (HSR) has been developing faster and at a larger scale than in any other country, thereby transforming the Chinese society and economy [1,2]
The results showed that the infrastructure accounted for 58% of the environmental impacts of the HSR line, whereas the operation stage accounted for
Energy consumption refers to the direct utilization of energy, including the diesel and electricity used in the mechanical work during the construction stage
Summary
China’s high-speed railway (HSR) has been developing faster and at a larger scale than in any other country, thereby transforming the Chinese society and economy [1,2]. As of 2018, the HSR system of China reached a length of 29,000 km, which accounts for approximately two-thirds of the world’s total length [3]. China’s HSR transported 2.001 billion passengers, which accounted for 60.4% of the country’s railway passenger traffic. In accordance with the Plan of Mid-to. Long-term Railway Network in China, the scale of the HSR will reach 38,000 km by 2025, and an HSR grid of “eight vertical and eight horizontal” will cover most cities with a population of over. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 105; doi:10.3390/ijerph17010105 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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