PLANNING GROUND INVESTIGATION STUDIES TO IDENTIFY GROUND-BORNE SOUND AND VIBRATION PARAMETERS FOR HIGH SPEED RAILWAYS

The UK Government believes that a new north-south rail link will revitalise Britain's rail network. The Government has created HS2 Ltd, which is developing a high-speed railway network to provide capacity and connectivity to populated urban areas at speeds up to 360km/h. Prior to the construction of railway infrastructure, investigation is undertaken to understand ground conditions in order to design and build the infrastructure in a safe, economic and efficient way. High speed railways have the potential to cause adverse effects arising from ground-borne noise and vibration. These effects can be reduced through the design of the track and the track bed. Therefore, it is necessary to apply knowledge of dynamic soil properties obtained from the ground investigation studies to inform the design. With reference to current guidelines, tests and research in relation to ground-borne sound and vibration from railway construction and operation, this paper provides an overview of ground investigation test methods and strategies that can be used to identify dynamic soil properties and provide input to the design of high speed railway infrastructure.