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Evaluating the environmental performance of the high speed rail project in the Basque Country, Spain

Author

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  • Bueno, Gorka
  • Hoyos, David
  • Capellán-Pérez, Iñigo

Abstract

This paper analyses the contribution of the high speed rail project in the Basque Country, Spain, to energy consumption reduction and to climate change mitigation by means of a simplified Life Cycle Assessment. The calculation of CO2 emissions and energy consumption reductions over the service lifetime of the infrastructure (60 years) shows that, even in the most optimistic scenarios considered, it would neither compensate the CO2 emissions linked to its construction and maintenance (2,71 MtCO2), nor would it contribute to net energy savings before 55 years of service. Robustness of these results leads us to conclude that GHG emissions reduction and energy savings should not be used as a general argument in favour of investing in high-speed rail infrastructure.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:retrec:v:62:y:2017:i:c:p:44-56
    DOI: 10.1016/j.retrec.2017.02.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bueno, Gorka, 2012. "Analysis of scenarios for the reduction of energy consumption and GHG emissions in transport in the Basque Country," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 1988-1998.
    2. Chester, Mikhail & Horvath, Arpad, 2010. "Life-Cycle Environmental Assessment of California High Speed Rail," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt4t9303h5, University of California Transportation Center.
    3. Givoni, Moshe & Banister, David, 2012. "Speed: the less important element of the High-Speed Train," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 306-307.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. Nikolaos Kalyviotis & Christopher D. F. Rogers & Geoffrey J. D. Hewings, 2025. "The environmental value of transport infrastructure in the UK: an EXIOBASE analysis," Papers 2504.20098, arXiv.org.
    4. (Ato) Xu, Wangtu & Huang, Ying, 2019. "The correlation between HSR construction and economic development – Empirical study of Chinese cities," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 24-36.
    5. Guo, Ying & Cao, Lingyan & Song, Ying & Wang, Yan & Li, Yongkui, 2022. "Understanding the formation of City-HSR network: A case study of Yangtze River Delta, China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 315-326.
    6. 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).
    7. Kortazar, Andoni & Bueno, Gorka & Hoyos, David, 2021. "Environmental balance of the high speed rail network in Spain: A Life Cycle Assessment approach," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    8. Jianyi Lin & Shihui Cheng & Huimei Li & Dewei Yang & Tao Lin, 2019. "Environmental Footprints of High-Speed Railway Construction in China: A Case Study of the Beijing–Tianjin Line," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-14, December.
    9. 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).
    10. Liu, Zhen & Diao, Ziyu & Lu, Yuan, 2024. "Can the opening of high-speed rail boost the reduction of air pollution and carbon emissions? Quasi-experimental evidence from China," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    11. Shoshanna Saxe & Dena Kasraian, 2020. "Rethinking environmental LCA life stages for transport infrastructure to facilitate holistic assessment," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 24(5), pages 1031-1046, October.
    12. Yan, Zhimin & Park, Sung Y., 2023. "Does high-speed rail reduce local CO2 emissions in China? A counterfactual approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    High-speed rail; Transport policy; Transport hierarchy; Life-cycle assessment; Sustainable mobility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L92 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Railroads and Other Surface Transportation
    • L42 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Vertical Restraints; Resale Price Maintenance; Quantity Discounts

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