Quantitative study on the environmental impact of Beijing’s urban rail transit based on carbon emission reduction
Abstract Urban rail transit, as an efficient and eco-friendly mode of transportation, plays a pivotal role in mitigating traffic congestion and lowering urban carbon emissions. Despite the significant contributions by scholars in this area, debates surrounding the quantification of carbon emissions...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86714-4 |
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| author | Cai Jia Xudong Wang Chengyang Qian Zini Cao Long Zhao Luzhou Lin |
| author_facet | Cai Jia Xudong Wang Chengyang Qian Zini Cao Long Zhao Luzhou Lin |
| author_sort | Cai Jia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Urban rail transit, as an efficient and eco-friendly mode of transportation, plays a pivotal role in mitigating traffic congestion and lowering urban carbon emissions. Despite the significant contributions by scholars in this area, debates surrounding the quantification of carbon emissions during the operational phase of urban rail transit persist, particularly in assessing its impact on reducing ground traffic congestion. This study examines the passenger flow during Beijing’s morning and evening peak hours, assuming that all passengers initially using urban rail transit switch to buses and taxis during these periods. A traffic congestion prediction model is developed based on the analysis of actual traffic operation data under this assumption. Through this model, the study calculates the potential congestion times across various scenarios, employing a bottom-up approach to carbon emission estimation to analyze the impact on carbon emissions. Results spanning 2015 to 2021 suggest that substituting urban rail transit with buses could increase congestion by 37–92 min and 46–59 min during morning and evening peaks, respectively, leading to a 24-82% and 27-56% surge in carbon emissions. The conversion of all these vehicles to taxis would result in a direct paralysis of Beijing’s road transport network, with a corresponding increase in carbon emissions of between 289% and 556% and 333% and 614%, respectively.These outcomes emphasize the substantial efficacy of urban rail transit in curbing traffic congestion and carbon emissions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f8da4b1b2df24452984f58df0d5c3a94 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-f8da4b1b2df24452984f58df0d5c3a942025-01-19T12:23:22ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-0115111510.1038/s41598-025-86714-4Quantitative study on the environmental impact of Beijing’s urban rail transit based on carbon emission reductionCai Jia0Xudong Wang1Chengyang Qian2Zini Cao3Long Zhao4Luzhou Lin5School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal UniversitySchool of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal UniversitySIPSG Information Technology Co. Ltd.School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal UniversitySchool of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal UniversityAcademy of Regional and Global Governance, Beijing Foreign Studies UniversityAbstract Urban rail transit, as an efficient and eco-friendly mode of transportation, plays a pivotal role in mitigating traffic congestion and lowering urban carbon emissions. Despite the significant contributions by scholars in this area, debates surrounding the quantification of carbon emissions during the operational phase of urban rail transit persist, particularly in assessing its impact on reducing ground traffic congestion. This study examines the passenger flow during Beijing’s morning and evening peak hours, assuming that all passengers initially using urban rail transit switch to buses and taxis during these periods. A traffic congestion prediction model is developed based on the analysis of actual traffic operation data under this assumption. Through this model, the study calculates the potential congestion times across various scenarios, employing a bottom-up approach to carbon emission estimation to analyze the impact on carbon emissions. Results spanning 2015 to 2021 suggest that substituting urban rail transit with buses could increase congestion by 37–92 min and 46–59 min during morning and evening peaks, respectively, leading to a 24-82% and 27-56% surge in carbon emissions. The conversion of all these vehicles to taxis would result in a direct paralysis of Beijing’s road transport network, with a corresponding increase in carbon emissions of between 289% and 556% and 333% and 614%, respectively.These outcomes emphasize the substantial efficacy of urban rail transit in curbing traffic congestion and carbon emissions.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86714-4 |
| spellingShingle | Cai Jia Xudong Wang Chengyang Qian Zini Cao Long Zhao Luzhou Lin Quantitative study on the environmental impact of Beijing’s urban rail transit based on carbon emission reduction Scientific Reports |
| title | Quantitative study on the environmental impact of Beijing’s urban rail transit based on carbon emission reduction |
| title_full | Quantitative study on the environmental impact of Beijing’s urban rail transit based on carbon emission reduction |
| title_fullStr | Quantitative study on the environmental impact of Beijing’s urban rail transit based on carbon emission reduction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantitative study on the environmental impact of Beijing’s urban rail transit based on carbon emission reduction |
| title_short | Quantitative study on the environmental impact of Beijing’s urban rail transit based on carbon emission reduction |
| title_sort | quantitative study on the environmental impact of beijing s urban rail transit based on carbon emission reduction |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86714-4 |
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