The nuisance caused by vibrations from passing trains is slightly reduced by ‘rubber pads’ under the concrete sleepers of the track. But the effect is only noticeable close to the track.
This is apparent from measurements by rail manager ProRail at test sections in Zevenaar and Oisterwijk. “The first results indicate a beneficial effect for residents who live close to the railway, in homes that are sensitive to these high-frequency vibrations,” said Mr. ProRail. But at forty meters from the track, this beneficial effect is no longer noticeable.
High-frequency vibrations are a major problem for people living along the tracks, especially on freight trains. Cris van Dijk from Dorst feels the passing train traffic “like an earthquake, and that thirty times a day”, he says in news hour. He lives in a newly built house about a hundred meters from the Brabant route.
Also near Zevenaar, passing freight trains on the Betuweroute cause vibrations and nuisance. Broadcasting Gelderland writes that there are subsidences in the track.
soft bottom
Last year, ProRail, together with TNO, engineering firm Deltares and TU Delft, started a series of tests to see whether this nuisance can be reduced. The rubber ‘cushions’ that were placed under the concrete sleepers in Zevenaar and Oisterwijk are mainly intended to see whether the vibrations are damped. So that is limited.
ProRail points out that the damping effect of the rubber is greater on a stiffer soil (eg sand) than on a soft soil of clay or peat.
Reduced by half
The railway manager has also started another trial. Near Oisterwijk, rubber plates have been placed between the rails at a railway crossing. That seems to be working out well. “Although the long-term measurements will continue until the summer, the first measurements show a substantial decrease in the vibrations”, according to ProRail. An initial analysis shows that the vibrations are even reduced by half.
The trials are still ongoing. ProRail points out that there are no rules for the maximum high-frequency vibration that a passing train may cause. Nevertheless, the organization will continue to investigate whether rubber should be used more often between and under the track.
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