Effects of Noise and Vibration Due to the Hokuriku Shinkansen Railway on the Living Environment: A Socio-Acoustic Survey One Year after the Opening.

Takashi Morihara,Shigenori Yokoshima,Yasunao Matsumoto

doi:10.3390/ijerph18157794

Abstract

One year after the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen (high-speed) railway, in 2016, we conducted a social survey targeting the residents of detached houses along the rail. Noise and vibration exposure levels were estimated at outdoor points closest to the noise source side of the houses. Of the 1980 people contacted, there were 1022 valid respondents. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between noise and vibration exposure and community responses. The results demonstrated that the noise annoyance and daily activity disturbances of residents living in areas without a conventional railway are higher than those of residents living in areas running parallel to a conventional railway line. This tendency was remarkable, especially for areas with high vibration exposure caused by the Shinkansen railway. There was no difference between before and after the opening of the Shinkansen railway in the evaluation of housing satisfaction, or regarding the preference for the residential area and quietness around the house. However, since the survey before the opening was conducted only in the Ishikawa site, it will be necessary to conduct before-and-after surveys in areas where there are no conventional railways, and where the speed of the Shinkansen is fast.

Highlights

Accepted: 20 July 2021Since the opening of the Tokaido Shinkansen Line in 1964, the Shinkansen railway system has significantly increased its transportation capacity, and the Shinkansen line network has continuously expanded in Japan
This study investigated whether noise annoyance and activity disturbances owing to the Shinkansen railway, including self-reported sleep disturbance, were affected by noise and vibration exposure levels and the existence of conventional railways
A high percentage of highly annoyed (HA) respondents live in highvibration areas and areas without conventional railways

Summary

Introduction

Accepted: 20 July 2021Since the opening of the Tokaido Shinkansen Line in 1964, the Shinkansen railway system has significantly increased its transportation capacity, and the Shinkansen line network has continuously expanded in Japan. The Hokuriku Shinkansen high-speed railway began operating between. Environmental quality standards for the Shinkansen superexpress railway noise have been reported since 1975 [1]; the standards are 70 dB or lower for the peak noise level in areas mainly used for residential purposes and 75 dB or lower in other areas. A vibration guideline of 70 dB was recommended by the Environment Agency in 1976 These environmental quality standards and recommendations provide standard and guideline values, respectively. The indicators used in Japan differ according to the noise source type. Those in which noise and vibration environments have been comprehensively assessed are necessary

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion