THE POTENTIAL OF Transport for NSW RAIL CORRIDORS FOR CARBON SEQUESTRATION AND OTHER BENEFITS

Project Member(s): Ghosh, S.

Funding or Partner Organisation: Transport for New South Wales

Start year: 2016

Summary: Transport for NSW has a metropolitan network totalling 412 kilometres of rail corridors, varying in width from narrow cuttings to large tracts of easement. There are many sections of the corridor which are underused which have potential for planting locally indigenous plant communities – ground cover species, shrubs and (where appropriate) trees. Utilizing this potential brings many benefits including storing and sequestering carbon dioxide (CO2), stormwater runoff reduction, lessening air pollution, urban heat island reduction and biodiversity enhancement and aesthetic values. A pilot study is suggested which examines the potential for planting native vegetation in the easement of a selected rail corridor as well as identifying remnant existing native vegetation. The key objectives of this pilot study are to: i)Establish baselines for current carbon storage and sequestration capacity, biodiversity of native plants, and air pollution absorption in the selected corridor; ii)Model carbon storage and sequestration potential of further indigenous vegetation planting on underused land with a view to securing in the long term, commercial carbon credits for Sydney Trains; iii)Determine the biodiversity and urban design potential of planting additional native species; iv)Estimate the potential for further air pollution diminution from the additional biomass.

Publications:

Blair, J, Roldan, C, Ghosh, S & Yung, S 2017, 'Greening rail infrastructure for carbon benefits', Procedia Engineering, vol. 180, pp. 1716-1724.
View/Download from: Publisher's site

Ghosh, S & Wilkinson, S 2016, 'Food urbanism, place making and sustainability performance in two institutional rooftop gardens in Sydney, Australia', Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Construction, Building and Real Estate Research Conference (COBRA), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Toronto, Canada in association with George Brown College, pp. 3-13.

Keywords: CO2 sequestration, vacant land, train corridors

FOR Codes: Urban Planning, Urban and Regional Planning