Abstract: The vibrations induced by high speed train(HST) may cause negative impacts on the surrounding environment, instrument operation, and even the safety of buildings, thus it should be paid more attention by the researchers and governments. In-situ measurements at the transition section to measure the ground vibrations caused by the operation of HST were conducted on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway in China. The ground vibration accelerations were recorded during the tests in three directions (i.e., vertical, horizontal and longitudinal directions) when train speeds are between 250 and 350 km/h. The characteristics of vibrations in the time domain, the frequency domain and the amplitude under different distance and speeds are analyzed. Furthermore, based on the levels of acceleration, the extents of site vibration caused by the operation of the high-speed rail at the transition section are evaluated. The analysis results show that the vertical vibrations are usually dominated in the near-field region and are comparable in the mid- and far-field and horizontal-direction vibrations. An obvious vibration amplification zone is found in the region within a distance of 20 m to the railway The dominant vibration frequencies of the ground are typically n times than the characteristic frequencies related to the train’s geometry dimension and unevenness of the railway. The test results are of great significance for the verification of numerical values about the vibration in high-speed railway environment.

Key words: high speed railway, environmental vibrations, field test, transition section, vibration evaluation