2011 Volume 67 Issue 5 Pages 67_I_169-67_I_176
In the case of assessment of products or projects, appropriate identification of system boundary which affects the results is important. This study applies life cycle assessment (LCA) with expansion of system boundary and examines the difference of results among the case of some different system boundaries. Combination of inter-regional passenger and freight transport system and reduction of environmental load by constructing a new system, superconducting maglev and Shinkansen as a high speed freight transport would be used between Tokyo and Osaka is evaluated. The estimation result of total environmental load by integrating passenger and freight transport is less than superconducting maglev development. Sensitivity analysis can indicate the number of high-speed freight transport which can offset increase in the environmental load.