The Life Impact Zero project (Development and demonstration of an anti-bird strike tubular screen for High Speed Rail lines) co-financed by the “Life” program of the European Commission, has as its main objective the determination of birdlife protection measures through screens Anti-collision on high-speed rail lines.

The project's main objective is the determination of birdlife protection measures through anti-collision screens on high-speed rail lines, for this purpose it is divided into the following specific objectives:

1. Develop the proposed methodology for the determination of optimal bird protection measures in new High Speed Lines.
2. Demonstrate the effectiveness of a new anti-collision screen design for birds. This design is based on the concept of screen exempt tubes (PTE).
3. Increase knowledge about the interaction between railway infrastructure and birdlife, with the aim of introducing design improvements that guarantee biodiversity.
4. Reduce the impact of existing and future High Speed Lines, both in the project area and in the populations of birds established in protected areas.

Previous studies of population, frequency, crossing and mortality of birds were carried out to select the sections of the project. Special mention requires the participation of the departments of Special Works, Civil Works Structures and Geotechnics of the Technical Services of FCC Construcción in the design of the screen and the execution of the work was carried out by the CONVENSA company.

The result obtained in the existing and planned LAV in the study areas, on bird populations, has been:

• The 32.2% reduction in bird mortality in the installation section of the screen, with respect to sections of the same layout.
• The percentage of dangerous crossings decreased in the screen area by 31.7, reaching 68% of safe crossings.
• These results had a greater effect in the case of species of wingspan equal to or greater than 60cm and those that fly in sides.

Future

If the effectiveness of the tube-based screen system is demonstrated, its use would be generalized to the entire network and replace the opaque screens that have been used so far and whose limited height calls into question their effectiveness, while the height of the posts acts shielding a larger surface enters the contact wire at 5.30 meters high and the rail head elevation of the track.

It is planned, therefore, to disseminate the results of the LIFE Impact Zero project to the most important international railway administrations that have projects or high-speed lines currently in operation.