What is green infrastructure?

Green infrastructure (GI) is a broad concept that in general terms can be described as a network of natural or semi-natural elements. GI takes various forms (ranging from wetlands to green roofs) and serves different purposes, for example mitigating flooding or enhancing biodiversity.

Maturity of GI solutions

The increasing urgency to address climate change and environmental sustainability has spurred innovation and collaboration for designing and implementing green infrastructure solutions. The technological readiness of GI varies depending on the solution and context. While many GI technologies have been successfully implemented and demonstrated their benefits, there are still contexts and conditions where further research is needed to fully understand their effectiveness or optimise their performance.  It is worth noting that most research is focused on urban contexts and reflected in urban planning and development processes due to the climate-related issues and risks associated with urbanisation.

How is green infrastructure relevant to the rail industry?

GI solutions can help increase the resilience of rail systems to changing weather conditions and mitigate the negative impacts of rail infrastructure and assets on the surrounding environment. GI offers also a host of additional benefits spanning environmental, social, and economic dimensions.

GI solutions Rail Industry Readiness Level

GI is starting to be recognised in the rail industry along railway tracks and within station areas. A barrier to widespread adoption, unlike most ‘grey’ alternatives, is that GI effectiveness can vary significantly depending on local conditions, including climate, soil and site-specific conditions, thus making standardisation challenging. However, the use of modular and prefabricated systems, such as retention tanks and modular green roofs, allows for standardised components that can be easily installed and customised to site-specific requirements, offering scalability for GI solutions.