IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v207y2025ics1364032124006506.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Establishing benchmarks to determine the embodied carbon performance of high-speed rail systems

Author

Listed:
  • Guo, Guisong
  • Li, Xiaodong
  • Zhu, Chen
  • Wu, Yankun
  • Chen, Jian
  • Chen, Peng
  • Cheng, Xi

Abstract

The extensive construction of high-speed rail (HSR) has led to considerable embodied carbon emissions, threatening carbon reduction targets and necessitating effective governance. Previous studies have focused on the carbon accounting of HSR, providing only pre-evaluation information for management. To measure the carbon emission level of HSR and guide improvements, it is essential to establish quantified carbon emission benchmarks as “yardsticks” for decision-making comparisons. Hence, this study proposes a data-driven method for determining the embodied carbon emission benchmarks of the HSR system, involving dataset construction, carbon accounting, statistical analysis, validation, and uncertainty assessment. Based on a dataset comprising 1226 HSR subprojects in China, a classified and graded HSR embodied carbon emission benchmark system is constructed, and the underlying causes for the emission differences among categories of HSR subsystems are explored. In addition to providing various benchmark values, the research results also demonstrate the decarbonization potential of advanced HSR construction technologies such as ballastless tracks, long-span box girders, and shield tunneling methods. Overall, this study can provide a decision basis for evaluating the HSR emission performance and offer insights into the selection of emission reduction technologies, thereby facilitating the low-carbon sustainable development of HSR construction.

Suggested Citation

  • Guo, Guisong & Li, Xiaodong & Zhu, Chen & Wu, Yankun & Chen, Jian & Chen, Peng & Cheng, Xi, 2025. "Establishing benchmarks to determine the embodied carbon performance of high-speed rail systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:207:y:2025:i:c:s1364032124006506
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2024.114924
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032124006506
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114924?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bueno, Gorka & Hoyos, David & Capellán-Pérez, Iñigo, 2017. "Evaluating the environmental performance of the high speed rail project in the Basque Country, Spain," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 44-56.
    2. Chang, Yuan & Lei, Shuhua & Teng, Jianjian & Zhang, Jiangxue & Zhang, Lixiao & Xu, Xiao, 2019. "The energy use and environmental emissions of high-speed rail transportation in China: A bottom-up modeling," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 1193-1201.
    3. Yatang Lin & Yu Qin & Jing Wu & Mandi Xu, 2022. "Author Correction: Impact of high-speed rail on road traffic and greenhouse gas emissions," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 12(3), pages 297-297, March.
    4. Park, Hyo Seon & Lee, Minhyun & Kang, Hyuna & Hong, Taehoon & Jeong, Jaewook, 2016. "Development of a new energy benchmark for improving the operational rating system of office buildings using various data-mining techniques," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 225-237.
    5. D’Alfonso, Tiziana & Jiang, Changmin & Bracaglia, Valentina, 2016. "Air transport and high-speed rail competition: Environmental implications and mitigation strategies," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 261-276.
    6. Wang, Tao & Seo, Seongwon & Liao, Pin-Chao & Fang, Dongping, 2016. "GHG emission reduction performance of state-of-the-art green buildings: Review of two case studies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 484-493.
    7. Chen, Zhenhua & Haynes, Kingsley E., 2017. "Impact of high-speed rail on regional economic disparity in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 80-91.
    8. Chen, Wenying & Yin, Xiang & Ma, Ding, 2014. "A bottom-up analysis of China’s iron and steel industrial energy consumption and CO2 emissions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 1174-1183.
    9. Helena Gervasio & Silvia Dimova & Artur Pinto, 2018. "Benchmarking the Life-Cycle Environmental Performance of Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-30, May.
    10. Jeong, Kwangbok & Hong, Taehoon & Kim, Jimin & Lee, Jaewook, 2021. "A data-driven approach for establishing a CO2 emission benchmark for a multi-family housing complex using data mining techniques," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    11. Yuan, Zhiyi & Dong, Changgui & Ou, Xunmin, 2023. "The substitution effect of high-speed rail on civil aviation in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PC).
    12. Diao, Mi, 2018. "Does growth follow the rail? The potential impact of high-speed rail on the economic geography of China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 279-290.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bo Yang & Yaping Yang & Yangxiaoyue Liu & Xiafang Yue, 2022. "Spatial Structure Evolution and Economic Benefits of Rapidly Expanding the High-Speed Rail Network in Developing Regions: A Case Study in Western China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Wu, Shuping & Han, Dan, 2022. "Accessibility of high-speed rail (HSR) stations and HSR–air competition: Evidence from China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 262-284.
    3. He, Haonan & Wang, Haomiao & Wang, Shanyong, 2025. "High-speed rail network and regional carbon emissions: Carbon lock-in or unlocking?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 144-159.
    4. Li, Zongxin & Wang, Qingyu & Cai, Mengshan & Wong, Wing-Keung, 2023. "Impacts of high-speed rail on the industrial developments of non-central cities in China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 203-216.
    5. Nie, Liang & Zhang, ZhongXiang, 2023. "Is high-speed rail heading towards a low-carbon industry? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    6. Sun, Wenhao & Gao, Jijun & Jacoby, Gady & Wu, Zhenyu, 2024. "Access to capital and energy efficiency: How high-speed rail investments benefit high-tech firms," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    7. Yang, Xutao & Wu, Jianhong & Zong, Yueqi & Wang, Chao, 2023. "Are China's HSR tariff affordable and economic equitable? An international comparison perspective," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    8. Wang, Yongpei & Guan, Zhongyu & Zhang, Qian, 2023. "Railway opening and carbon emissions in distressed areas: Evidence from China's state-level poverty-stricken counties," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 55-67.
    9. Jesuina Chipindula & Hongbo Du & Venkata S. V. Botlaguduru & Doeun Choe & Raghava R. Kommalapati, 2022. "Life cycle environmental impact of a high-speed rail system in the Houston-Dallas I-45 corridor," Public Transport, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 481-501, June.
    10. Yan, Sen & Sun, Xinyu & Zhang, Yurong, 2024. "High-speed railway ripples on the greenness: Insight from urban green vegetation cover," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    11. Zhipeng Tang & Ziao Mei & Jialing Zou, 2021. "Does the Opening of High-Speed Railway Lines Reduce the Carbon Intensity of China’s Resource-Based Cities?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-18, July.
    12. Yang, Zhiwei & Li, Can & Jiao, Jingjuan & Liu, Wei & Zhang, Fangni, 2020. "On the joint impact of high-speed rail and megalopolis policy on regional economic growth in China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 20-30.
    13. Wang, Yunmin & Cao, Guohua & Yan, Youliang & Wang, Jingjing, 2022. "Does high-speed rail stimulate cross-city technological innovation collaboration? Evidence from China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 119-131.
    14. Wu, Bingyu & Levinson, David M., 2024. "A multi-modal analysis of the effect of transport on population and productivity in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    15. Cavallaro, Federico & Bruzzone, Francesco & Nocera, Silvio, 2020. "Spatial and social equity implications for High-Speed Railway lines in Northern Italy," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 327-340.
    16. Xiangjing Zeng & Yong Ma & Jie Ren & Biao He, 2022. "Analysis of the Green Development Effects of High-Speed Railways Based on Eco-Efficiency: Evidence from Multisource Remote Sensing and Statistical Data of Urban Agglomerations in the Middle Reaches of," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-20, December.
    17. Xia, Xiaoxue & Wang, Chen & Lu, Chao & Zhu, Tianqi & Zhao, Ziying & Zhao, Yiwen, 2024. "High-speed railway and corporate risk-taking: Channels and evidence from China," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    18. Chen, Fanglin & Hao, Xinyue & Chen, Zhongfei, 2021. "Can high-speed rail improve health and alleviate health inequality? Evidence from China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 266-279.
    19. Sun, Xinyu & Yan, Sen & Liu, Tao & Wang, Jiayin, 2023. "The impact of high-speed rail on urban economy: Synergy with urban agglomeration policy," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 141-154.
    20. Li, Zekun & Chen, Zhenhua, 2023. "Predicting the future development scale of high-speed rail through the urban scaling law," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:207:y:2025:i:c:s1364032124006506. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.