Revitalization, Development, and Integration of Rail System in Urban Areas: Zadar Urban Area Case Study

This chapter presents the methodology and the results of a preliminary analysis of the feasibility and impact of integrating bus, rail, sea, and air passenger transport, as well as sea and rail freight transport in the Zadar Urban Area. The analysis includes the identification, multicriteria analysis, and assessment of rational solutions that would ensure the revitalization of the existing railway infrastructure, relocation of freight rail traffic from the narrow and densely developed suburban coastal area, promotion of intermodal passenger and freight transport, improvement of urban and regional accessibility and connectivity, increase of traffic safety, reduction of travel time and operating costs, and decrease of traffic impacts on the environment. By consulting legal framework, spatial planning documentation, and analyzing the socioeconomic context and existing transport infrastructure function, six alternative variants for the (re)development of the rail infrastructure were designed. Multicriteria analysis was conducted to select the most suitable variant. It was based on seven criteria: transport evaluation, compliance, costs, environment, institutional analysis, risks (including climate change), and implementation deadlines. The results of the study provided the decision-makers with a sustainable approach for further elaboration of the spatial planning documents.