Scholarlink

<p>Given the substantial contribution of transport operations to global energy demand, enhancing their energy efficiency is crucial for sustainable urban mobility. This study investigates whether intensifying the use of fixed transport networks, termed operational densification, reduces energy consumption. Grounded in economic theory, we develop a novel causal model to estimate the energy impacts of densification across two major commuting modes: urban rail transit (metro) and private car travel. Using a unique panel dataset of 27 metro operations worldwide, we find that a 10% increase in passenger-kilometres travelled on a fixed network reduces energy use per passenger-kilometre by 3.45%. These gains surpass what kinetic energy principles alone predict, as fixed energy inputs such as infrastructure and maintenance are distributed across increased usage. In contrast, analysis of the Millennium Cities Database reveals no significant energy savings from densification in private car travel, likely due to limited shared infrastructure or operational scale economies.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Understanding the scaling of transport energy use with operational density

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年9月1日

查看全文
  • Anupriya,
  • Emma McCoy,
  • Daniel J. Graham

摘要

Given the substantial contribution of transport operations to global energy demand, enhancing their energy efficiency is crucial for sustainable urban mobility. This study investigates whether intensifying the use of fixed transport networks, termed operational densification, reduces energy consumption. Grounded in economic theory, we develop a novel causal model to estimate the energy impacts of densification across two major commuting modes: urban rail transit (metro) and private car travel. Using a unique panel dataset of 27 metro operations worldwide, we find that a 10% increase in passenger-kilometres travelled on a fixed network reduces energy use per passenger-kilometre by 3.45%. These gains surpass what kinetic energy principles alone predict, as fixed energy inputs such as infrastructure and maintenance are distributed across increased usage. In contrast, analysis of the Millennium Cities Database reveals no significant energy savings from densification in private car travel, likely due to limited shared infrastructure or operational scale economies.