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Noise and Vibration SolutionsRail, Infrastructure and Tunnelling

“SRL has done an excellent piece of technically challenging and innovative work predicting noise and vibration from trains running on the Temporary Construction Railway and identifying those areas where it was necessary to install the enhanced track design (track type B). SRL collaborated closely with Crossrail as well as other contractors, together with their acoustic consultants, to develop a prediction methodology and then validate it through on-site measurement. The level of achievement, demonstrating compliance against Crossrail’s Environmental Minimum Requirements and parliamentary assurances on ground-borne noise and vibration, is a huge success considering that Crossrail is the largest construction project in Europe and given that the tunnels pass under densely occupied parts of London”Colin CobbingNoise and Vibration Manager, Crossraill

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PedigreeSRL was formed in 1967 and has been a leader in the field of acoustics ever since.

ExperienceWe employ some of the most experienced consultants in the industry. Our largeteam includes experts with backgrounds in Local Authority, M&E services andarchitecture as well as pure acousticians.

Specialist KnowledgeOur team has worked on many of the major UK infrastructure and rail schemesincluding Crossrail C305, Stockley Park interchange, DLR, HS1 and CP5.

We have completed hundreds of consents such as S61 applications on Crossrailand Network Rail projects.

We have never had an application refused by any local authority. We are the leadingauthority in the UK on predicting vibration during tunneling activities.

ResourcesWe are the largest independent acoustic consultancy in the UK. We have officesstrategically placed in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Sudbury.

We have a dedicated experienced team who organise the installation andmaintenance of remote noise and vibration monitoring equipment.

LiaiseWe collaborate with all parties to devlop thebest project specific solutions everytime.

MeasureWe measure the appropriate noise/vibrationlevels in the right place at the right time. No more, no less.

AnalyseWe use our collective expertise and the latest analytical tools to get you precisionresults. If your problem is bespoke, we thinkoutsdide of the box and develop a bespokesolution to tackle the issue.

ModelWe build 3D Computer models of your sitesand use these models to predict the impactsto the environment and or residents

“It was a pleasure working with you guys on C305, the quality of work was always excellent”Okey Ngoka EHO Tower Hamlets

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MitigateIf the results of any of our work highlight apotential risk, we give you the best solutionfirst time. We know that time is critical onthese projects.

Gain ConsentWe get your site working and keep it working, even when the works are out ofhours, weekends or Bank Holidays.

UnderstandWe work with multiple stakeholders everyday. We know that understanding howtheir needs impact your scheme is critical to your success.

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Background

Crossrail includes 21km of bored tunnelunder the most densely populated parts of London.

During the construction of the HS1 project,residents complained about noise andvibration from the Temporary ConstructionRailway within tunnels. To prevent the samething happening on Crossrail stringentacoustic criteria were placed on the project.

Our Challenge

During construction a rail track was needed to service the TBMs. Whilst the finished trackis of the highest quality and mitigatesvibration issues at source, this track would bedamaged during construction. Therefore atemporary construction railway had to beinstalled for the duration of construction.

The obvious solution to mitigate the risk ofnoise and / or vibration complaints was toisolate the entire temporary track, but thiswould have been very expensive. Ourchallenge was to develop a solution tomitigate risk of complaints and save our client money.

Case Study TunnellingCrossrail – C305 Eastern Running Tunnels

Dragados Sisk JV are constructing the longest section of the Crossrail route by tunnelling from the Victoria Dock Road portal to the east, stopping atFarringdon Station right in the heart of the City. SRL Technical Services Ltdhave helped them every step of the way.

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Collaborative

We worked closely with multiple stakeholdersincluding one of the other tunnellingcontractors and their acoustic consultantsplus the consultant engineers from Crossrailto develop a methodology to accurately predict tunnel vibration to the properties atthe surface.

We also collaborated successfully with thenoise teams in all of the affected boroughs,Tower Hamlets, Newham, City of London andCanary Wharf, to ensure their needs and theneeds of their residents were met at all times.

Bespoke

SRL developed a bespoke piece of software to model the scenarios, building on all of theavailable engineering knowledge. Thesoftware was calibrated and validated bymeasuring the actual vibration within thetunnels and at the surface simultaneously and feeding this data back into the model.

Innovative

The groundbreaking work we did has resultedin a new level of accuracy for the prediction ofvibration from temporary railways at thesurface. We were able to identify specificallywhich properties along the route were at risk.This meant we could specify precisely wherevibration isolation was required and where a‘basic’ track could be used.

Solutions

Our work meant our client could re-use a‘basic’ track from a previous project for themajority of the scheme; this saved hundredsof thousands of pounds.

We then used our skill, experience andjudgement to provide a cost effective solutionfor locations where problems were predicted.

No time was lost due to noise or vibrationissues which meant the critical time line was maintained.

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“As we come to our last week of tunnelling, I write to thank you for your considerable contribution to our success. That success can be measured in the very small number of adverse comments received during tunnelling from residents and other parties along the route. Whilst the design of our temporary construction railway was essential in reducing the potential impact of ground-borne noise, your assessment and monitoring of ground-borne noise and vibration was essential in securing the support from our client, Crossrail and from keystakeholders such as the City of London and the Barbican Centre. The demands of the client’s acoustic advisers highlighted the technically challenging aspects of your studies and I commend you for your perseverance in addressing these demands and in working with other contractors and their acoustic consultants to achieve consensus. It is particularly pleasing to hear our client congratulate you and your team for the monitoring, predictions, validation of the predictions and assessments you have done to support the tunnelling of the Dragados Sisk Joint Venture for Crossrail”Bruno Guillaume Environmental Manager, Dragados Sisk JV

Case Study Tunnelling

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Case Study Network RailStockley Junction

Carillion have built a 1000 tonne rail flyover close to Heathrow. The 120m longstructure is the largest single span bridge to be built anywhere to the west ofLondon since Brunel’s era. The flyover will allow the Heathrow Express andCrossrail trains to join the Great Western Railway without any delays.

Background

Building a 1000 tonne structure was alwaysgoing to create a fair amount of noise andvibration, and doing it in a populated part ofLondon meant there was a potential risk of complaints.

Much of the construction work was done at15m above ground level which meant that notonly was the work more visible, but there waslittle or no acoustic screening between thework and the sensitive receptors.

Added to this was the fact that much of thepiling had to be done during night timepossession periods to minimise disruption tothe existing rail services.

SRL were employed to tackle the scheme’snoise and vibration challenges, to allow it tobe delivered on time and on budget.

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Our Challenge

Meeting the critical time line was imperativeon this scheme. Construction work had tohappen without stoppage or delay.

This meant identifying and then mitigating therisk of construction noise and / or vibrationcomplaints before the work started.

The site is very large and in a denselypopulated part of London. We had to gainconsent for the work from the Local Authority.

Once consent was granted, we had to producea comprehensive noise and vibrationmanagement plan that would allow the worksto run smoothly. To demonstrate compliancewe had to develop a robust scheme of noiseand vibration monitoring to satisfy all therelevant stakeholders.

Collaborative

We worked together with the Local Authority,Network Rail, our Client and the localcommunity to carry out an extensive exerciseto determine and agree upon the mostappropriate noise and vibration receptorpositions for both the assessments and the monitoring.

We collaborated with the delivery team toassess the construction methodology from anoise and vibration perspective. This allowedus to mitigate potential issues out duringpreconstruction.

We developed a close working relationshipwith the Local Authority allowing us to gain all necessary consent for the works throughmultiple Section 61 applications.

Innovative

We developed bespoke 3D computer noisemodelling software to predict the noiseimpact from construction work to the noisesensitive receptors. The software allowed usto critically assess the Client’s proposedconstruction methodology and feedbackcomments regarding the scheduling ofspecific works and also investigate the impactof alternative construction methods.

Solutions

We identified a number of specialistengineering companies operating largefactories on the edge of the site, includingnanotechnology facilities that are particularly sensitive to vibration.

Our comprehensive noise and vibrationmonitoring solution sent text alerts directly to the site agents whenever the noise and/or vibration criteria were exceeded. Thisallowed our Client to react instantly andinvestigate any potential issues as and when they happened.

A regime of attended monitoring wasemployed during possession periods toprovide both on site support during the actual work and also demonstrate to theLocal Authority that noise and vibrationcontrol was an important consideration to the delivery team.

Case Study Network Rail

“We approached SRL because we had experience of working with them for many years across many sectors. They are experts in the field of acoustics and helped us gain consent for the work by preparing multiple Section 61 applications. They also worked with us to provide a successful noise and vibration monitoring solution to demonstrate compliance, for the duration of the Stockley Junction project. Having SRL on board meant that we could get on with our work knowing that any issues with noise and vibration were handled”Elwen Tasker Environmental Manager, Carillion

London Office70 Cowcross Street London EC1M 6EJ T: +44 (0)207 251 3585

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www.srltsl.com Technical Services Limited