EVALUATION FRAMEWORK FOR ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND POLLUTANT EMISSIONS OF LONG HAUL LAND PASSENGER TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURES

Inclusion of environmental and resource conservation evaluation measures during the planning of traffic service networks is not often used in practice, but is becoming a widely discussed issue nowadays. Two different categories of transport networks are to be taken into consideration when analyzing a certain area (Van Nes 2002): physical networks or traffic service networks, seen as an assembly of road, rail, water or other considered infrastructures and transport service networks, seen as a system of utilities that are provided by vehicles operated on infrastructure. This study is intended to improve understanding of direct and indirect energy use and pollutant emissions of transport infrastructures, using the example of long haul land passenger infrastructures: highway and high speed rail. As a result, although both services have their benefits and costs, highway was found to have the highest share of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and therefore high speed rail ranks better and is mentioned as a sustainable development action. Recommendations concerning methodological clarifications and practical aspects are made in order to insure the best practice for an evaluation framework regarding sustainable network based transport infrastructure development, from energy consumption and pollutant emissions point of view.