Green building certification of urban public railway transport systems for sustainable cities

Abstract

The increasing consumption of energy and the greenhouse-gas emissions are challenges in the transport and building sectors. Compared to the other transportation types public railway transport systems are the most energy efficient regarding carbon footprint. Modern urban railway public transport systems have the significant advantages of large passenger capacity, punctuality, safety, going green in the urban environment and reducing carbon footprint, is a scientific consensus. However, the energy demand for railways are increasing in proportion to passenger load, require implementing innovative solutions for optimizing the energy consumption and reducing carbon emission. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a building rating system used worldwide. The credit categories of the LEED consist of seven different topics from the Energy and Atmosphere to Materials and Resources. In this study, the LEED certification application to railway station and facilities will be discussed mainly energy efficiency criteria.