Large airport hubs bring aircraft, high-speed rail, subways and other transport modes into one complex, making passenger transfers faster and more convenient. However, when hotels or passenger overnight rooms are located above or close to rail infrastructure, train-induced vibration may affect comfort and must be predicted before construction is finalized.
In this study, researchers examined passenger overnight accommodation planned near Changsha Huanghua Airport Terminal 3, where a hotel is located above a subway line and close to a high-speed railway line. To evaluate vibration transmission, the team developed a two-step simulation framework. First, a train-track coupled model calculated the dynamic forces generated as trains moved over the track. These forces were then applied to a finite-element model linking the track, station, hotel structure and surrounding soil.
The results showed that floor slabs experienced stronger vibration than structural columns at the same floor. A subway train running at 80 km/h or a high-speed railway train running at 300 km/h could make floor vibration perceptible to occupants. Under single subway operation, about 16% of observation points exceeded the nighttime vibration limit. Most floor observation points also exceeded one-third-octave vibration limits, with subway-related exceedances mainly around 40 Hz and high-speed railway exceedances mainly between 40 and 80 Hz.
The researchers further tested mitigation measures and found that a combined strategy using subway floating slab track and high-speed railway vibration-damped track could keep floor accelerations below the human perception threshold and bring all evaluated vibration indicators within relevant standards.
The work titled “Vibration assessment and mitigation for an over-track building in a large-scale transportation hub induced by subway and high-speed railway trains” was published in Journal of Railway Science and Technology (published on May 7, 2026).

DOI：10.1016/j.jrst.2026.05.002