Estimating CO2 emissions from railway turnout, crossover and diamond re-constructions

Climate change due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increasing air pollution are expected to impact on the world and its population. There has been significant research already in the railway transportation industry to develop long term strategies to reduce GHG emissions. Railway transportation provides fast and safe mass transport of passengers and freight and contributes far less GHG emissions and other air pollutants when compared with other modes of transport. Railway systems require considerable maintenance to ensure utility and more importantly safety throughout its life. This study involved field based surveys which investigated CO2 emissions from the re-construction of special trackwork in railway maintenance. Special trackwork includes turnouts, crossovers and diamonds, as well as a bulk turnout renewal (consisting of 3 turnouts and 2 crossovers) which was used to compare with individual projects. The collected field data include fuel and material consumptions associated with various maintenance activities. The data were then converted into estimated CO2 emissions. The results can be used in planning and designing future railway infrastructure with a focus on reducing overall CO2 emissions from the railway transport sector.