A unique noise barrier for trams was created at the Faculty of Civil Enginneering - News service

Publication date:

2018/07/02

At the tram line section between the stops Nový Hloubětín and Vozovna Hloubětín, a unique noise mitigation measure for towns, the so-called urban noise barrier, has been tested since July. The curtain was built along the 50 meters portion of the track during maintenance work which has been underway since March. Its unique low height of mere 30 centimeters above the rail make it the lowest noise level of its kind in Europe. However, the aperture should provide attenuation of the noise from the passing tram in the range of 3 to 5 decibels. It is made of recycled materials and can be quickly dismantled in the event of an accident on the track, which will allow unobstructed intervention of rescue teams. The barrier was developed by experts from the Department of Railway Structures at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in cooperation with MONTSTAV. The work connected with the realization of the noise barrier in Hloubětín was carried out with the financial support of the Prague Operational Programme - the Pole of Growth of the Czech Republic.

The construction of the barrier was carried out within the operation lockout since the beginning of June, the speed of construction was about 8 meters per shift. Ongoing for the assembly, in coordination with DPP, and no special lockout was needed. The entire construction was provided by a team from the Faculty of Civil Engineering. The whole concept has been developed to make assembly as simple and fastest as possible. The aperture is based on a gravel bed on individual oddated concrete foundation strips. The individual parts are attached to them, and they are then joined together. This system allows for quick construction and rapid dismantling if necessary, whether in the case of rescue operations or track maintenance. Another interesting property is that the concrete strips are reinforced with a composite fiberglass mesh instead of steel, which prevents the spread of stray currents around the track. The barrier is designed to minimize visual impact on the environment and yet absorb maximum noise at the wheel-rail contact. The barrier in Hloubětín is made in the basic black-gray hue, but it can also be produced in a number of other colors, according to architectural requirements.

The section between the stops Nový Hloubětín - Vozovna Hloubětín in Prague 9 was selected for the measurement and subsequent testing of the aperture in real traffic both for the repair of the track and for the convenient position of the track section. The place is particularly suitable for long-term observation, since car traffic is not run alongside the tramway. New residential buildings were also erected around the area and will thus be protected from traffic noise.

Initial noise measurements on the track were carried out by experts from the CTU Faculty of Civil Engineering in March before the closure began. After the aperture is completed and the line is put into operation, they will return to Hloubětín district with their instruments and the aperture will be monitored and measured for long time period In total three measuring positions are located on the track.

More info at www.fsv.cvut.cz or at www.mphc.cz.

Website novinky.cz had also informed about the noise barrier