Effect of trench barrier on free field motion due to the train and highspeed train passages

Railway transport is one the most preferable way of commuting from/to urban centers. Although it has several advantages on other ways of transportation such as its cost effectiveness, energy efficiency, safety and least dependency to weather conditions, there is also a disadvantage by inducing discomfort vibration to the surrounding area especially in the urban centers. In this study, a trench barrier along the track line has been used in order to reduce the vibration induced by trains and high-speed trains. A series of field testing has been carried out. The vibration levels from the freight/passenger trains and high speed trains passages were measured in three directions up to the 40m from the track lines. The average Vs30 value was 200m/s and the speed of the high-speed train was 250km/h at the site. As a vibration mitigation measure an excavated trench barrier has been used along the track line. The vibration levels with and without trench barrier have been compared for the freight/passenger trains and high speed trains passages. The obtained records have been analyzed both in time and frequency domains. The results showed that the trench barrier effectively reduces the vibration level.