TITLE:
Geospatial Analysis of Environmental and Safety Risks of Railways on Vulnerable Land Users in Point Douglas and St. Boniface Communities in Winnipeg, Canada
AUTHORS:
Ijeoma Eze, Shirley Thompson
KEYWORDS:
Rail Hazard, Rail Lines, Industrial Sites, Vulnerable Land Use, Safety Risk, Rail Relocation
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.12 No.11,
November
20,
2024
ABSTRACT: Train rails are associated with environmental and safety risks, often concentrating industry near their yards and rails. ArcGIS was applied to map the rail network, land uses, and industrial sites in Point Douglas and St. Boniface in Winnipeg, Canada. We identified 123 land uses with vulnerable populations needing assistance in evacuation from hospitals, senior living facilities, schools and early childhood centres within a buffer of two km of the rails and conducted hotspot analysis. About two-fifths of the total population, 39% in Point Douglas and 40% in St. Boniface, are at risk from fire, spill or train derailment involving dangerous goods and requiring evacuations or isolation.