High-speed ground transportation noise and vibration impact assessment : final report /

During the past decade, high-speed railways have become one of the most advanced and fast-developing branches of transportation. Unfortunately, when train speeds increase, the intensity of railway-generated noise and vibration generally become higher, presenting major environmental problems. Since operating train speeds are gradually increasing in all countries and this trend is likely to continue in the future, the knowledge and understanding of possible noise and vibration effects is vital to undertake possible mitigation measures. Noise and vibration from high-speed trains is a definitive reference work on this subject covering the numerous theoretical and practical questions that need to be answered. This comprehensive new book provides the reader with the most recent experimental data, combining, informative illustrations and authoritative information. It represents in one volume the views of leading international experts on the problem of noise and vibration from high-speed trains and suggests possible ways of reducing its environmental impact.Noise and vibration from high-speed trains is essential reading for all scientists and engineers working on prediction and remediation of railway noise and vibration. It is written specifically for environmental consultants, local authorities and designers of new railway lines and will also be an invaluable reference tool for university students and anybody concerned with topical environmental issues.

This manual provides direction for the preparation of noise and vibration sections of environmental documents for mass transportation projects. The manual has been developed in the interest of promoting quality and uniformity in assessments. It is expected to be used by people associated with or affected by the urban transit industry, including Federal Transit Administration (FTA) staff, grant applicants, consultants and the general public. Each of these groups has an interest in noise/vibration assessment, but not all have the need for all the details of the process. Consequently, this manual has been prepared to serve readers with varying levels of technical background and interests. It sets forth the basic concepts, methods and procedures for documenting the extent and severity of noise impacts from transit projects.

This book contains the presentations given during the 9th International Workshop on Railway Noise (IWRN9) which took place in Munich/Feldafing, Germany, on 4th to 8th September 2007. This workshop was organised by the Acoustics and Vibration Department of DB Systemtechnik, the technical engineering office of Deutsche Bahn AG. More than 120 participants from 17 countries followed the invitation to the wo- shop. This great response showed the continuing interest in an important topic of railway technology and offered the opportunity to present the recent results of intense worldwide activities to the international community of railway noise and vibration experts and to share knowledge as well as experience. Because an efficient transportation network is indispensable to handle the general mobility increase and road networks have reached their socio-ecological limits, the railway network is to be strengthened. For example the European Commission has given distinct political signals to get more passengers onto the railways. This policy represents a clear challenge for the next few decades not only for European railway companies: the considerable increase in mobility will lead to a doubling of the railway traffic volume within the next 10 to 20 years. To reduce the environmental impact, the Directive on the Assessment and M- agement of Environmental Noise has been put into force in Europe, aiming at avo- ing, preventing or reducing harmful effects of environmental noise on human health.

Railway Noise and Vibration: Mechanisms, Modelling, and Means of Control, 2nd Edition provides a complete overview of the state of the art in rail noise and vibration theory and modelling. This book describes each source of noise and vibration, such as rolling noise, curve squeal, bridge noise, aerodynamic noise, ground vibration and ground-borne noise, and vehicle interior noise in a systematic way, covering relevant theoretical modelling approaches and their practical implementation, with extensive examples of noise control technology applied at source. Noise and vibration are key obstacles to further development of railway networks worldwide for high-speed intercity traffic, freight and suburban metros and light-rail systems. With noise problems all too often dealt with inefficiently due to a lack of understanding of the problem, this new edition is an invaluable reference for all those working with noise and vibration from railways, whether in industry, consultancy, or academic research. • Introduces theoretical modelling approaches for each source in a tutorial fashion• Discusses the theoretical basis and practical applications of railway noise control technology, summarising the latest research and key findings from recent decades in one concise resource• Updated with new prediction models and methods, including more detail on ground vibration and aerodynamic noise