Greenhouse Gas Impact of Ridership on Sheppard Subway Line, Toronto, Canada

Abstract

Changes in travel behavior near the Sheppard Subway Line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the associated greenhouse gas impacts were examined. A study looked at initial changes in mode share after the line opened in 2002 and examined ongoing mode share trends through 2012. The initial mode shift was assessed through an analysis of bus boardings, subway platform counts, and traffic counts made between 2000 and 2012. Longitudinal changes in mode share were assessed with the use of transit survey data. For the first 6 years of operation, the Sheppard Subway Line produced more greenhouse gas (GHG) per passenger kilometer traveled (PKT) than the bus that it had replaced. A net GHG reduction of 66.4 kilotons of CO2 equivalent was calculated but was wholly dependent on avoided car PKTs that may have been offset in their entirety by induced travel on Sheppard Avenue.

Greenhouse gas considerations in rail infrastructure in the UK

“…In 2011, the average UK car -with an average UK occupancy factor of 1·6 -produced 151·0 gCO 2 e/PKT while London Underground produced 83·3 gCO 2 e/PKT (DfT, 2011b). However, especially in cities with an existing transit system, the mode shift to new rail is complex as passengers do not necessarily switch from private to public transit -a large percentage of riders on the new line have often switched from other parts of the existing transit system (JLISU, 2002;Saxe et al, 2015). To understand the emissions benefits of new metro lines it is necessary to consider the actual mode shift achieved.…”

“…The GHG impacts of new rail capacity and its influence on long-term mode share trends can be a major contributor to the net GHG impact of a new rail system. Evidence indicates that increased rail accessibility correlates with reduced use of GHG-intensive modes such as car and air travel (Albalate et al, 2015;Murray et al, 1998;Saxe et al, 2015). In examining long-term mode share, GHG savings are calculated from trips that are avoided rather than trips that were previously taken by a different mode (mode shift).…”

“…A study of the Sheppard subway line in Toronto, Canada, found that it produced more GHGs/PKT than the buses it replaced in its first 6 years of operation (Saxe et al, 2015). This was due to the replacement of a high-occupancy bus service with a lowoccupancy metro.…”

“…This was due to the replacement of a high-occupancy bus service with a lowoccupancy metro. After 6 years, however, the metro surpassed the performance of the original buses through a combination of increasing ridership and a rapid reduction in the carbon dioxide emissions of the electrical grid (Saxe et al, 2015). A study of light rail in Los Angeles, USA, found that a minimum mode shift of 35% from cars was needed to pay back the GHG investment of building and operating the line (Chester et al, 2012b).…”

“…In Toronto, the Sheppard line eventually saw significant savings from growing ridership, which replaced car trips. However, these saving were very sensitive to backfilling of car trips by other users (Saxe et al, 2015).…”