{"title":"Identifying Potential Areas for New Railway Lines across Different Relief Roughness of Austrian Landscapes","authors":"Florian Perauer, Tadej Brezina, Stefan Edlinger","doi":"10.1007/s12061-024-09597-4","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This work presents an operational model to identify potential areas for new railway lines in Austria, utilizing a topographic and passenger potential and considering the different inclination requirements for regional and main railway lines. By applying a GIS digital terrain model based on a 500 m squared reference system, we identified 61,497 cells suitable for new regional lines and 11,347 cells suitable for main railway lines. These cells show a variety of spatial potential classes. Out of Austria’s 83,883 km² total surface, all these identified cells sum up to an area of 15,374 km² for new regional lines and 2,837 km² for new main lines. We validate the identified cells with existing and abandoned railway alignments. The model shows a fit of 80%. Furthermore, we put the results into perspective by comparing individual cell potentials with their public transport quality levels of existing supplied services, and we apply a five-scenario sensitivity analysis to identify the impact of the model’s foundations. After debating the model’s particularities and their impact on planning procedures, we conclude that our model is more comprehensive than today’s strategic rail transport planning procedures, primarily based on political desires or selected expert suggestions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":46392,"journal":{"name":"Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy","volume":"17 4","pages":"1605 - 1629"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12061-024-09597-4.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12061-024-09597-4","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This work presents an operational model to identify potential areas for new railway lines in Austria, utilizing a topographic and passenger potential and considering the different inclination requirements for regional and main railway lines. By applying a GIS digital terrain model based on a 500 m squared reference system, we identified 61,497 cells suitable for new regional lines and 11,347 cells suitable for main railway lines. These cells show a variety of spatial potential classes. Out of Austria’s 83,883 km² total surface, all these identified cells sum up to an area of 15,374 km² for new regional lines and 2,837 km² for new main lines. We validate the identified cells with existing and abandoned railway alignments. The model shows a fit of 80%. Furthermore, we put the results into perspective by comparing individual cell potentials with their public transport quality levels of existing supplied services, and we apply a five-scenario sensitivity analysis to identify the impact of the model’s foundations. After debating the model’s particularities and their impact on planning procedures, we conclude that our model is more comprehensive than today’s strategic rail transport planning procedures, primarily based on political desires or selected expert suggestions.
期刊介绍:
Description
The journal has an applied focus: it actively promotes the importance of geographical research in real world settings
It is policy-relevant: it seeks both a readership and contributions from practitioners as well as academics
The substantive foundation is spatial analysis: the use of quantitative techniques to identify patterns and processes within geographic environments
The combination of these points, which are fully reflected in the naming of the journal, establishes a unique position in the marketplace.
RationaleA geographical perspective has always been crucial to the understanding of the social and physical organisation of the world around us. The techniques of spatial analysis provide a powerful means for the assembly and interpretation of evidence, and thus to address critical questions about issues such as crime and deprivation, immigration and demographic restructuring, retailing activity and employment change, resource management and environmental improvement. Many of these issues are equally important to academic research as they are to policy makers and Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy aims to close the gap between these two perspectives by providing a forum for discussion of applied research in a range of different contexts
Topical and interdisciplinaryIncreasingly government organisations, administrative agencies and private businesses are requiring research to support their ‘evidence-based’ strategies or policies. Geographical location is critical in much of this work which extends across a wide range of disciplines including demography, actuarial sciences, statistics, public sector planning, business planning, economics, epidemiology, sociology, social policy, health research, environmental management.
FocusApplied Spatial Analysis and Policy will draw on applied research from diverse problem domains, such as transport, policing, education, health, environment and leisure, in different international contexts. The journal will therefore provide insights into the variations in phenomena that exist across space, it will provide evidence for comparative policy analysis between domains and between locations, and stimulate ideas about the translation of spatial analysis methods and techniques across varied policy contexts. It is essential to know how to measure, monitor and understand spatial distributions, many of which have implications for those with responsibility to plan and enhance the society and the environment in which we all exist.
Readership and Editorial BoardAs a journal focused on applications of methods of spatial analysis, Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy will be of interest to scholars and students in a wide range of academic fields, to practitioners in government and administrative agencies and to consultants in private sector organisations. The Editorial Board reflects the international and multidisciplinary nature of the journal.