Flood Risk Assessment in an Underground Railway System under the Impact of Climate Change—A Case Study of the Barcelona Metro

Edwar Forero-Ortiz, Eduardo Martínez-Gomariz, Manuel Cañas Porcuna, Luca Locatelli and Beniamino Russo
Additional contact information
Edwar Forero-Ortiz: Cetaqua, Water Technology Centre, Carretera d’Esplugues, 75, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
Eduardo Martínez-Gomariz: Cetaqua, Water Technology Centre, Carretera d’Esplugues, 75, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
Manuel Cañas Porcuna: TMB (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona), Carrer 60, núm. 21-23, sector A, Pol. Ind. de la Zona Franca, 08040 Barcelona, Spain
Luca Locatelli: AQUATEC (SUEZ Advanced Solutions), Paseo de la Zona Franca, 46-48, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
Beniamino Russo: AQUATEC (SUEZ Advanced Solutions), Paseo de la Zona Franca, 46-48, 08038 Barcelona, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 13, 1-26

Abstract: Flooding events can produce significant disturbances in underground transport systems within urban areas and lead to economic and technical consequences, which can be worsened by variations in the occurrence of climate extremes. Within the framework of the European project RESCCUE (RESilience to cope with Climate Change in Urban arEas—a multi-sectorial approach focusing on water), climate projections for the city of Barcelona manifest meaningful increases in maximum rainfall intensities for the 2100 horizon. A better comprehension of these impacts and their conditions is consequently needed. A hydrodynamic modelling process was carried out on Barcelona Metro Line 3, as it was identified as vulnerable to pluvial flooding events. The Metro line and all its components are simulated in the urban drainage models as a system of computational link and nodes reproducing the main physical characteristics like slopes and cross-sections when embedded in the current 1D/2D hydrodynamic model of Barcelona used in the project RESCCUE. This study presents a risk analysis focused on ensuring transport service continuity in flood events. The results reveal that two of the 26 stations on Metro Line 3 are exposed to a high risk of flooding in current rainfall conditions, and 11 of the 26 stations on Metro Line 3 are exposed to a high risk of flooding in future rainfall conditions for a 20-year return period event, which affects Metro service in terms of increased risk. This research gives insights for stakeholders and policymakers to enhance urban flood risk management, as a reasonable approach to tackle this issue for Metro systems worldwide. This study provides a baseline for assessing potential flood outcomes in Metro systems and can be used to evaluate adaptation measures’ effectiveness.

Keywords: flood risk assessment; climate change; 1D/2D hydrodynamic model; Metro system; subway; urban mobility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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