European High Speed Train Network
From SEA.unu.edu/wiki
A European High Speed Train Network (European HST Network) is proposed to respond to increasing transport demand and environmental problems of road and air transport in Europe. An outline plan has been drafted for 9800 km of new line (and 14,400 km of upgraded line (speeds to + 200 km/hr).
Issues in Building the European High-Speed Train Network :
Since new railways have certain environmental impacts, the proposal for the European HST Network needed an environmental evaluation. It was decided that the traditional method, to assess the environmental impacts as part of a project (EIA), did not suffice for this greater transboundary projects. Therefore it was decided that the HST project was subject to an SEA. However, the decision to conduct a SEA did give rise to several interestingdiscussions between the European Minister Council and the European Parliament.
Eventually, in 1995 the European Parliament did demand an SEA for the European High Speed Train network. Four scenarios were developed for the outline plan :
- existing situation as of 1998 ;
- reference situation 1 (2010 situation) assumes no further extension of the existing network would take place, transport demand is met by car, plane and classical train ;
- reference situation (2010 situation) taking into account the extra mobility a full fledged HST network would generate (=same mobility as in the proposed outline plan); and
- the proposed outline plan (preferred situation).
The environmental impacts and issues were broadly assessed to include : primary energy consumption, air pollution, noise pollution, spatial impact, i.e. land use, landscape sensitivity, etc. and traffic safety. The methodologies used for this purpose included : GIS, traffic simulation modelling, expert judgement, and extrapolation of known data. Both technological developments and national environmental policy objectives were taken into account.
The study forecast that the HST Network would change the model split of inter-city travel. A « with » versus « without » proposal comparison indicated the HST network would reduce air pollution, lower energy consumption, and improve safety (estimated against a roughly equivalent network of main roads and commercial flights).
Lessons learnt were that the SEA for the HST :
- documented the relative environmental gains associated with the proposal based on a comparison of alternative transport modes and scenarios; and
- applied quantitative methods to predict total (absolute numbers) and relative impacts (i.e. per passenger/km)
Brown, A.L. and R. Therivel (1999) "Principles to guide the development of strategic environmental assessment methodology", Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal 18(3), pp. 183-189.
