Comprehensive Assessment on the Life-Cycle Environment Impact of Railway Construction Projects

There is a huge impact of railway projects on the regional environment. A life cycle assessment (LCA) framework using quantitative methodwas developed to evaluate the environment impact of railway projects quantitatively. The railway life cycle was divided into 5 phases: survey and design, raw materials processing, construction, operation, and demolition. The life cycle environmental impact for railway project was categorized into 5 grades: great negative influence, little negative influence, no influence, little positive influence, and great positive influence. Based on the improved AHP method, a quantitative method was introduced to evaluate comprehensive environmental impact of railway projects. A railway project was analyzed as a case study. The results show that the major environment impact is occurred during the phases of operation and demolition. It is demonstrated that the method is applicable to assess the life-cycle environmental impact of railway projects.