Article

Received 22.01.2026

Revised 26.05.2026

Accepted 25.06.2026

Published 04.07.2026

Retrieved from Vol. 29, No. 1, 2026

Pages 98 -109

Rohovyi, O., & Samsonkin, V. (2026). Identifying priority directions for carbon emission reduction in railway transport using multi-criteria analysis. Transport Systems and Technologies, 29(1), 98-109. https://doi.org/10.32703/2617-9040-2026-47-8

Identifying priority directions for carbon emission reduction in railway transport using multi-criteria analysis

Oleksandr Rohovyi*, Valerii Samsonkin

oleksroho@gmail.com

In the short and medium term, the decarbonisation of diesel traction cannot rely solely on full electrification and the rapid replacement of rolling stock, which creates a need for renewable diesel fuels. The aim of the study was to develop a multi-criteria procedure for ranking renewable diesel fuels for railway diesel traction and to identify the priority option for reducing carbon emissions. The article considered four renewable diesel fuel alternatives, namely fully hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel, pure biodiesel fuel, a blend containing 20% biodiesel and 80% fossil diesel fuel, and synthetic paraffinic diesel fuel, proposes a formalised selection procedure based on a combination of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods, and established a matrix of seven criteria: environmental performance, technical compatibility, operational suitability, economic feasibility, feedstock availability, infrastructure compatibility, and regulatory alignment. The weights of the criteria were determined using the AHP, consistency was verified, and the alternatives were ranked using the TOPSIS. The results indicated the superiority of the paraffinic fuels fully HVO fuel and synthetic paraffinic diesel fuel, which are suitable for use without retrofitting existing rolling stock. These fuels demonstrated the best combination of low total greenhouse gas emissions throughout the fuel life cycle and high technical compatibility. Pure biodiesel fuel and the blend containing 20% biodiesel were ranked lower due to their lower technical and operational suitability, higher sensitivity to storage and fuel-handling conditions, and a weaker overall emission-reduction effect in the case of the blend containing 20% biodiesel. The proposed approach can be used by railway operators, infrastructure managers, transport authorities, and researchers as a decision-support tool for the phased transition from fossil diesel fuel to renewable liquid fuels in the railway sector

decarbonisation; transport technologies; renewable diesel fuels; diesel traction; biodiesel fuel; fuel compatibility; operational suitability
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https://doi.org/10.32703/2617-9040-2026-47-8