Driving Mechanism and Energy Conservation Strategy for China’s Railway Passenger Stations Towards Carbon Neutrality

Lu, Yintao; Hu, Bo; Qiu, Shengming; Liu, Shuchang; Wang, Jiayan; Zhao, Jiashuai; Yao, Hong

doi:10.3390/en18112768

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Driving Mechanism and Energy Conservation Strategy for China’s Railway Passenger Stations Towards Carbon Neutrality

by

Yintao Lu

^1,2,3,

Bo Hu

^1,2,3

,

Shengming Qiu

^1,2,3,

Shuchang Liu

^1,2,3,

Jiayan Wang

^1,2,3,

Jiashuai Zhao

^1,2,3 and

Hong Yao

^1,2,3,*

¹

School of Environment, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China

²

Intelligent Environment Research Center, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100081, China

³

Engineering Research Center of Clean and Low-Carbon Technology for Intelligent Transportation, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100091, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Energies 2025, 18(11), 2768; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112768

Submission received: 25 April 2025 / Revised: 21 May 2025 / Accepted: 23 May 2025 / Published: 26 May 2025

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Abstract

As critical hubs for long-distance transportation, railway passenger stations (RPSs) significantly influence energy conservation and CO₂ mitigation. This study investigates the spatiotemporal patterns and driving factors of CO₂ emissions across 247 Chinese RPSs (2014–2023), proposing region-specific decarbonization strategies. The key findings include: (1) Emissions increased universally during 2014–2023, with severe cold zones and developed cities hosting the most high-emission RPSs; (2) purchased thermal energy dominated the emissions in severe cold/cold zones, while purchased electricity prevailed in other zones; (3) the heating area (HA) was a primary emission driver, whereas the percentage of lighting energy consumption (PLEC) served as a key constraint, as shown by correlation and PCA analyses; (4) CO₂ emissions in severe cold zones exhibited strong correlations with heating-related factors, whereas emissions in other zones were predominantly linked to energy structure-related factors. These findings provide region-specific, actionable strategies to support CO₂ emission reduction planning for RPSs.

Keywords: RPSs; CO₂ emission reduction; climate zones; region-specific strategies

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MDPI and ACS Style

Lu, Y.; Hu, B.; Qiu, S.; Liu, S.; Wang, J.; Zhao, J.; Yao, H. Driving Mechanism and Energy Conservation Strategy for China’s Railway Passenger Stations Towards Carbon Neutrality. Energies 2025, 18, 2768. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112768

AMA Style

Lu Y, Hu B, Qiu S, Liu S, Wang J, Zhao J, Yao H. Driving Mechanism and Energy Conservation Strategy for China’s Railway Passenger Stations Towards Carbon Neutrality. Energies. 2025; 18(11):2768. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112768

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lu, Yintao, Bo Hu, Shengming Qiu, Shuchang Liu, Jiayan Wang, Jiashuai Zhao, and Hong Yao. 2025. "Driving Mechanism and Energy Conservation Strategy for China’s Railway Passenger Stations Towards Carbon Neutrality" Energies 18, no. 11: 2768. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112768

APA Style

Lu, Y., Hu, B., Qiu, S., Liu, S., Wang, J., Zhao, J., & Yao, H. (2025). Driving Mechanism and Energy Conservation Strategy for China’s Railway Passenger Stations Towards Carbon Neutrality. Energies, 18(11), 2768. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112768

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Driving Mechanism and Energy Conservation Strategy for China’s Railway Passenger Stations Towards Carbon Neutrality

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