Environmental Impact Assessment: roads and rail: handbook methodology

The vision of an environmentally adapted transportation system, sustainable over the long term, has deep roots in society. But what does it really mean, and how do we reach it? Environmental questions must be a natural part of road and rail planning in order to achieve sustainability. This makes demands on knowledge, involvement, and systematic working methods, but also openness, where the opportunity to have an influence is provided. The Environmental Impact Assessment (miljokonsekvensbeskrivning, or EIA) is an important tool for answering these needs. Experience from EIAs in road and rail planning show how important it is that the EIA is integrated into the process from early planning to implementation so that environmental issues are taken care of. This handbook therefore puts great emphasis on describing work with an EIA and explaining how it is intended to be implemented in every phase, from preliminary studies to the construction phase.