Life cycle assessment of retrofit strategies applied to concrete infrastructure at railway stations exposed to future extreme events

Critical infrastructures such as railway stations are important assets to society which over time have been shown to be susceptible to multiple hazards that could hinder their ability to function as intended. This study focuses on two unique extreme events, flooding and terror attacks, and the sustainability of the retrofits that are typically prescribed to these facilities to enhance their resilience to these hazards under the influence of uncertainty. A framework that incorporates life cycle assessment was applied during the selection process of the retrofits which allowed each of the solutions to be categorised as either being a “No regret”, “Reversible” or “High Safety Margin” option. The sustainability of each retrofit was determined by computing the whole-life costs over a 20-year service life and the net present value as well as by measuring net carbon footprint associated with different processes during this service life.