Impact of sound and vibration of the North–South high-speed railway connection through the city of Antwerp Belgium

In the European High-Speed Train Network the infrastructure of the North–South connection in Antwerp needs significant modifications. For the section between Berchem and Antwerp Central Station the existing track on the high level embankment will be incorporated into concrete structures providing a three level track access to the station. For the section between Antwerp Central Station and Dam two drilled tunnels are planned providing the station with pass-through facilities instead of being an “end” station as at present. The paper focuses on the methods of practical research and the resulting measures regarding the impact of sound and vibration on the environment. ential part of this study is the impact of the planned construction of a double railway tunnel underneath the city of Antwerp. At certain locations, the distance between the foundations of the houses and the top of the tunnel is only 4 m. The study considers the projected vibration levels on the rail, the tunnel invert, building foundations and upper floors of the buildings. Also the ground-borne noise is evaluated. The study identifies the measures necessary at the rail mounting level. As a result, a floating slab has been proposed and the effects on the environment are estimated.