Analysis of Carbon-foot Print into Railway Superstructures; Ballasted and Slab Tracks

Heydari, Hamidreza; Tahanzedeh, Sara

doi:10.22068/ijrare.387

Volume 13, Issue 2 (6-2026) IJRARE 2026, 13(2): 1-11 | Back to browse issues page

‎ 10.22068/ijrare.387

Mendeley

Zotero

RefWorks

Heydari H, Tahanzedeh S. Analysis of Carbon-foot Print into Railway Superstructures; Ballasted and Slab Tracks. IJRARE 2026; 13 (2) :1-11
URL: http://ijrare.iust.ac.ir/article-1-387-en.html

Analysis of Carbon-foot Print into Railway Superstructures; Ballasted and Slab Tracks

Hamidreza Heydari

, Sara Tahanzedeh

School of Railway Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology

Abstract: (19 Views)

Global warming is being accelerated by rising greenhouse gas emissions from human activity, which carries serious repercussions for long-term sustainability. Of these gases, carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the most critical driver of climate change. Railway construction and maintenance, in particular, demand vast quantities of materials, making the sector a notable source of CO₂. To address this, we must implement thorough quantitative assessments and innovative design improvements to lower the industry's environmental cost. This study identifies and quantifies the carbon footprint of two common railway superstructures: ballasted track and slab track. To achieve this aim, a life-cycle assessment was performed in accordance with sustainable design and resilient infrastructure frameworks. Finally, the results were benchmarked against the Carbon Emission Index (CEI) to measure each alternative's deviation from the optimal reference value. The results of this study show that slab track produces higher CO₂ emissions than ballasted track, mainly because of its greater consumption of concrete and reinforcing steel. The total emissions were estimated at 823.87 t CO₂/km for slab track and 498.51 t CO₂/km for ballasted track. The CEI values of 1.62 for slab track and 1.55 for ballasted track further confirm that ballasted track demonstrates better environmental performance. Therefore, from a carbon-emission perspective, ballasted track appears to be the more sustainable railway superstructure.

Keywords: Railway Superstructure, Carbon-foot print, Carbon emission, Ballasted and slab tracks, Sustainable design

Full-Text [PDF 393 kb] (8 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: General