Improving the environmental sustainability of large scale transportation infrastructure

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Large-scale transportation infrastructure projects have transformative impacts on the economy and sustainability of our cities; they affect how people move, live and work, are a strong factor in land use type and intensity, and a key driver of environmental emissions. As all levels of government work to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, more research is needed to understand and guide the sustainability of transportation infrastructure projects and systems. This research program investigates the GHG impacts of rail based transportation infrastructure projects over their full lifecycle. Focus is placed on transportation infrastructure because the transportation sector is a growing contributor to GHG emissions in Canada and construction and operation of transport infrastructure is controlled by the government; this is an area where the government has the power and control to quickly make improvements should it choose. Study of the GHG impacts of transport often focuses on the impacts of the propulsion energy used for travel and is most commonly based on models. This obscures the significant environmental costs associated with the material and energy use in the construction of transport infrastructure, and the potential GHG benefits associated with new transport infrastructure from its influence on travel behaviour and land use. The dependence on modelling overlooks meaningful differences between how infrastructure performs in theory and in practice. This research program will reveal the real world GHG impact of the studied infrastructure; identify the main drivers of GHG cost and the best opportunities for maximizing GHG benefit. The work will advance scientific and engineering methods for the study of infrastructure systems in the real world, develop a baseline understanding of the holistic GHG impacts of rail transit infrastructure, and develop tools to inform future planning, design, construction and policy around transport infrastructure.