1. SRL Technical Services 1
Noise and Vibration Solutions
Rail, Infrastructure and Tunnelling

2. “
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 Cobbing Noise and Vibration Manager, Crossraill

3. SRL Technical Services 3
Pedigree
SRL was formed in 1967 and has been a leader in the field of acoustics ever since.
Experience
We employ some of the most experienced consultants in the industry. Our large
team includes experts with backgrounds in Local Authority, M&E services and
architecture as well as pure acousticians.
Specialist Knowledge
Our team has worked on many of the major UK infrastructure and rail schemes
including Crossrail C305, Stockley Park interchange, DLR, HS1 and CP5.
We have completed hundreds of consents such as S61 applications on Crossrail
and Network Rail projects.
We have never had an application refused by any local authority. We are the leading
authority in the UK on predicting vibration during tunneling activities.
Resources
We are the largest independent acoustic consultancy in the UK. We have offices
strategically placed in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Sudbury.
We have a dedicated experienced team who organise the installation and
maintenance of remote noise and vibration monitoring equipment.

4. Liaise
We collaborate with all parties to devlop the
best project specific solutions everytime.
Measure
We measure the appropriate noise/vibration
levels in the right place at the right time.
No more, no less.
Analyse
We use our collective expertise and the
latest analytical tools to get you precision
results. If your problem is bespoke, we think
outsdide of the box and develop a bespoke
solution to tackle the issue.
Model
We build 3D Computer models of your sites
and use these models to predict the impacts
to 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
SRL Technical Services4

5. SRL Technical Services 5
Mitigate
If the results of any of our work highlight a
potential risk, we give you the best solution
first time. We know that time is critical on
these projects.
Gain Consent
We get your site working and keep it
working, even when the works are out of
hours, weekends or Bank Holidays.
Understand
We work with multiple stakeholders
everyday. We know that understanding how
their needs impact your scheme is critical
to your success.

6. SRL Technical Services6
Background
Crossrail includes 21km of bored tunnel
under the most densely populated parts
of London.
During the construction of the HS1 project,
residents complained about noise and
vibration from the Temporary Construction
Railway within tunnels. To prevent the same
thing happening on Crossrail stringent
acoustic criteria were placed on the project.
Our Challenge
During construction a rail track was needed
to service the TBMs. Whilst the finished track
is of the highest quality and mitigates
vibration issues at source, this track would be
damaged during construction. Therefore a
temporary construction railway had to be
installed for the duration of construction.
The obvious solution to mitigate the risk of
noise and / or vibration complaints was to
isolate the entire temporary track, but this
would have been very expensive. Our
challenge was to develop a solution to
mitigate risk of complaints and save our
client money.
Case Study Tunnelling
Crossrail – 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 at
Farringdon Station right in the heart of the City. SRL Technical Services Ltd
have helped them every step of the way.

7. SRL Technical Services 7
Collaborative
We worked closely with multiple stakeholders
including one of the other tunnelling
contractors and their acoustic consultants
plus the consultant engineers from Crossrail
to develop a methodology to accurately
predict tunnel vibration to the properties at
the surface.
We also collaborated successfully with the
noise teams in all of the affected boroughs,
Tower Hamlets, Newham, City of London and
Canary Wharf, to ensure their needs and the
needs of their residents were met at all times.
Bespoke
SRL developed a bespoke piece of software
to model the scenarios, building on all of the
available engineering knowledge. The
software was calibrated and validated by
measuring the actual vibration within the
tunnels and at the surface simultaneously
and feeding this data back into the model.
Innovative
The groundbreaking work we did has resulted
in a new level of accuracy for the prediction of
vibration from temporary railways at the
surface. We were able to identify specifically
which properties along the route were at risk.
This meant we could specify precisely where
vibration 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 the
majority of the scheme; this saved hundreds
of thousands of pounds.
We then used our skill, experience and
judgement to provide a cost effective solution
for locations where problems were predicted.
No time was lost due to noise or vibration
issues which meant the critical time line
was maintained.

8. SRL Technical Services8
“
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 key
stakeholders 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

9. SRL Technical Services 9
Case Study Network Rail
Stockley Junction
Carillion have built a 1000 tonne rail flyover close to Heathrow. The 120m long
structure is the largest single span bridge to be built anywhere to the west of
London since Brunel’s era. The flyover will allow the Heathrow Express and
Crossrail trains to join the Great Western Railway without any delays.
Background
Building a 1000 tonne structure was always
going to create a fair amount of noise and
vibration, and doing it in a populated part of
London meant there was a potential risk
of complaints.
Much of the construction work was done at
15m above ground level which meant that not
only was the work more visible, but there was
little or no acoustic screening between the
work and the sensitive receptors.
Added to this was the fact that much of the
piling had to be done during night time
possession periods to minimise disruption to
the existing rail services.
SRL were employed to tackle the scheme’s
noise and vibration challenges, to allow it to
be delivered on time and on budget.

10. SRL Technical Services10
Our Challenge
Meeting the critical time line was imperative
on this scheme. Construction work had to
happen without stoppage or delay.
This meant identifying and then mitigating the
risk of construction noise and / or vibration
complaints before the work started.
The site is very large and in a densely
populated part of London. We had to gain
consent for the work from the Local Authority.
Once consent was granted, we had to produce
a comprehensive noise and vibration
management plan that would allow the works
to run smoothly. To demonstrate compliance
we had to develop a robust scheme of noise
and vibration monitoring to satisfy all the
relevant stakeholders.
Collaborative
We worked together with the Local Authority,
Network Rail, our Client and the local
community to carry out an extensive exercise
to determine and agree upon the most
appropriate noise and vibration receptor
positions for both the assessments and
the monitoring.
We collaborated with the delivery team to
assess the construction methodology from a
noise and vibration perspective. This allowed
us to mitigate potential issues out during
preconstruction.
We developed a close working relationship
with the Local Authority allowing us to gain
all necessary consent for the works through
multiple Section 61 applications.
Innovative
We developed bespoke 3D computer noise
modelling software to predict the noise
impact from construction work to the noise
sensitive receptors. The software allowed us
to critically assess the Client’s proposed
construction methodology and feedback
comments regarding the scheduling of
specific works and also investigate the impact
of alternative construction methods.
Solutions
We identified a number of specialist
engineering companies operating large
factories on the edge of the site, including
nanotechnology facilities that are
particularly sensitive to vibration.
Our comprehensive noise and vibration
monitoring solution sent text alerts directly
to the site agents whenever the noise and/
or vibration criteria were exceeded. This
allowed our Client to react instantly and
investigate any potential issues as and
when they happened.
A regime of attended monitoring was
employed during possession periods to
provide both on site support during the
actual work and also demonstrate to the
Local Authority that noise and vibration
control was an important consideration
to the delivery team.
Case Study Network Rail

11. “
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

12. London Office
70 Cowcross Street
London
EC1M 6EJ
T: +44 (0)207 251 3585
Birmingham Office
Cornwall Buildings
45 Newhall Street
Birmingham
B3 3QR
T: +44(0) 121 213 6342
Manchester Office
Lynnfield House
Church Street
Altrincham
Cheshire
WA14 4DZ
T: +44(0)161 929 5585
Southern Office
& Laboratory
Holbrook House
Little Waldingfield
Sudbury
Suffolk
CO10 0TF
T: +44(0)1787 247595
South Africa Office
Ground Floor
Liesbeek House
River Park
Gloucester Road
Mowbray
7700
South Africa
T: +27(0)21 680 5305
E: srl@srlsa.co.za
www.srltsl.com Technical Services Limited