Data and analysis for Chapter 4 of the EngD thesis "Engineering performance, sustainability metrics, and business models to drive the optimisation of steel in low carbon transport networks"

<p dir="ltr">This dataset contains the analysis for Chapter 4 of the EngD thesis "Engineering performance, sustainbility metrics, and business models to drive the optimisation of steel in low carbon transport networks".</p><p dir="ltr">Dataset available as an interlinked XLSX spreadsheet or as individual CSV files, where: ReadME) Dataset metadata, 1) Key track configuration variables (including functional unit, sleeper spacing, renewal width, design life, track category, and sleeper type), 2) Calculation of the carbon intensity associated with the production of sleeper types (steel). This includes at the baseline (2023) and under the specified decarbonisation scenarios (2023 and 2050), 3) Specifications (mass, length, depth, width etc) associated with sleeper types, 4) Calculation of the amount of ballast required for a track renewal under the given functional unit (depending on sleeper type), and thus the associated carbon intensity, 5) Calculation of the carbon intensity associated with the transport of sleeper and ballast materials by either road or rail, 6) Calculation of the carbon intensity associated with whole track construction (use of machines), 7) Calculation of the carbon intensity associated with track maintenance (tamping and stoneblowing), 8) Calculation of the carbon intensity associated with recovery, and reuse of sleeper post-consumer scrap to attribute avoided environmental impact to the overall system, 9.1 - 9.7) Assessment of the carbon intensity of both track and sleeper under the noted scenarios, as well as the influence of a number of paramters on these values, 10) Supplementary information relating to energy and emissions factors (material and transport) for the UK in 2023 and 2050, 11) Supplementary information relating to UK track categories as defined by Network Rail.</p>