The present report describes the results of a project on the air pollution impact of railways in the towns of Copenhagen and Aarhus. The project has comprised three activities.
• Emission inventory. Detailed information about the activity of diesel fuelled trains in Copenhagen and Aarhus has been acquired. Based on this information emissions of NOX and PM2.5 (particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micron) have been computed for railways and stations.
• Computations of concentrations. The above mentioned emission data have provided a base for computation of concentrations of air pollutants close to railways and at further distances from them.
• Indicative measurements. A number of indicative measurements of NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) have been carried out at a few selected locations – some with an assumed large exposure to road traffic and trains, and others with assumed exposure from trains only. These indicative measurements have been limited in various respects.
The focus of the entire work was to obtain an overall assessment, where results are expressed in terms of annual mean values. Features at a scale of less than 100 meters have not been described in the emission inventories, neither in the majority of the dispersion model calculations.
The project is funded by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental project no. 1484)