Life cycle assessment of prestressed concrete railway sleepers

Climate-changing emissions and the development of innovative technologies to reduce them are the main environmental issues faced in the last few decades. The transportation sector is responsible for about 25% of greenhouse gases and plays a pivotal role in countering global warming and emissions to the air. Railway is the most efficient transport system due to its lower emissions per transport unit for freights and passengers. However, exploring the problems and potentials of vehicles alone is one-sided, whereas it is meaningful to assess the infrastructure impact over its service life. This study calculates the environmental impact of production, installation, and dismantling of one prestressed concrete railway sleeper with a fastening system compliant with the European standard 13230-1:2009. Primary and secondary input data have been used for the Life Cycle Assessment according to the European standard EN 15804:2012 + A2:2019. The examined life cycle involves the emission of 123 kg of CO2 eq. whose 8% is from the Construction Process stage and 9% from the End-of-Life stage. The overall service life implies 51 MJ and 1210 MJ consumption of renewable and non-renewable primary energy, respectively. Raw materials extraction, electricity production, and road transportation contribute 89%, 5%, and 6% to climate-altering impacts. Interpreting the environmental impact categories, resource use indicators, and waste categories allows for an objective analysis. The results highlight the variables to be addressed to increase the sustainability of high-speed passengers and high-capacity freight railways.