Study On GHG Emissions Reduction Of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project In Almaty,Kazakhstan

This study presents an eco-assessment of a Bus Rapid Transit（BRT）system conducted using a Life Cycle Assessment（LCA）method.The case study focuses on a dedicated public transport line in Almaty designed to reduce congestion on existing roads.It was decided that the practical method of solving is to concentrate on establishing convenient BRT project,which can faced all urban traffic problems and be economically beneficial.BRT sometimes called"ground station"because it combines the power and speed of light rail tram or subway with the flexibility,low cost and simplicity of the bus system.BRT is fast,offers quality,is cost-effective and can be implemented quickly（in 1-2 years）.A conceptual framework and data driven calculation model are developed in this study to facilitate the assessment of Greenhouse Gas（GHG）over the life cycle of BRT project.The model takes into account the emissions generated through the construction of the BRT facilities and the operations of BRT buses.Almaty BRT is conducted as a case study to show how the conceptual framework and calculation model can be implemented to assess the life cycle CO2 emission in practice.Results of case study shows the operation stage is the biggest contributor of the total CO2emission over the life cycle of BRT project.However,the construction stage should not be overlooked because the density of emissions is much higher than that of operation stage.Exploitation of green fuel is also considered and implemented in the LCA.Usage of green fuel can reduce the CO₂ emission during the operation stage and vary the total amount of CO₂ emission.The emission calculations highlight the huge savings achieved when using the BRT,mainly by reducing the entry of emissions from surrounding traffic.The analysis concludes that on average,BRT projects are expected to generate relatively low levels of emissions primarily due to their low infrastructure needs and low annual transit length.Based on the above characteristics of BRT,the content and theory of BRT environmental impact assessment are discussed.Taking Almaty as an example,the environmental impact of BRT project is evaluated by using the transport emission evaluation model.