Environmental vibration monitoring & assessment at sencitive receptors during metro construction in urban centre of Thessaloniki, Greece

The construction of the Thessaloniki Metro integrates state-of-the-art technology and the most demanding standards concerning both quality and operation, rendering it, thus, the most modern Metro System in the whole of Europe and ensuring the protection of the urban environment. The network consists of 2 Depots, 13 modern center platform stations, 9.5 km of Line (with two independent single track tunnels), 18 ultra-automatic and state-of-the-art trains. The elaboration of an extensive Environmental Monitoring Programme as part of the "Required Pertinent Monitoring Designs-Programmes" of the project specifications for the "DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND COMMISSIONING OF THESSALONIKI METRO" was enforced in order to ensure the protection and minimization of annoyance from worksite operation in the network. For each construction site and in the location of the closest receptors, Vibration Acceleration in time domain (m/sec 2), Vibration velocity (mm/sec) were recorded and then ppv for all recordings was calculated as well as rms weighted acceleration (m/sec2) and VDV values, following Fourier analysis for the vibration velocity recordings according to DIN 4150 (Part 3). Included in this article are the relevant assessment and evaluation results of this state of the art monitoring program with emphasis on sensitive receptors such as archaeological areas and sensitive land uses (e.g. schools and hospitals.)