| Summary: |
Rail transport systems are the most sustainable transport mode, with the lowest energy consumption,
space occupation and carbon footprint when compared to any other air or land transportation
systems. However, the noise generated by railways constitutes a very significant environmental
challenge that the managers and operators of this type of infrastructure need to face. Among
mitigation measures that can be followed, the implementation of acoustic barriers is the most
common and one that presents the greatest impact on noise reduction. In spite of this, the acoustic
barriers usually applied are far from being optimized solutions and are not generally designed for
the specific case of railway noise. In this context, the main objective of the project is to develop
of an innovative acoustic barrier solution, specifically designed to minimizing noise effects elicited
by railway traffic. It is intended that the solutions to be developed can constitute efficient barriers
from an acoustic point of view and with a low environmental / visual impact, corresponding to
solutions of low height and with optimized geometry. From the economic point of view, advantage
will be taken from the modular nature of concrete pre-cast solutions. The main goal is that this
type of solution is highly competitive in relationship to existing solutions in the market, in terms
of technical, economic, sustainability and visual impact. The development of the project will be
based on a consortium established between three entities highly qualified for this purpose, relying
on the extensive experience accumulated in the concrete pre-cast industry by Mota-Engil, and
the experience and scientific knowledge regarding the acoustic performance of different mitigation solutions of the UC, and the global behavior of railway systems at the UP. The project is also
supported by two railway manager administrations (as partners), namely Metro do Porto and
Infraestruturas de Portugal. |