VDP Srl

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The project consisted of the doubling of the Circumvesuviana Railway Line in the section between via Nocera and Castellammare di Stabia station, which is part of the third operating sector.

In particular, the upgrade involved the following activities:

• Doubling of the Railway Line;
• Construction of via Cosenza underpass and resulting elimination of the level crossing;
• Demolition of the station building at via Nocera stop and square refurbishment;
• Noise barrier installation along the section excluding the two (existing and planned) tunnels;
• New tunnel on the south-east bound track from km 8+790.78 to km 9+281.73;
• Safety enhancement of hillside slopes at the tunnel entrance.   

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS

VDP carried out the following environmental studies regarding the final doubling design of this section of the Circumvesuviana line: Acoustic Analysis, Environmental Monitoring Plan, Materials Management Plan and Land Use Plan as well as the evaluation of the acoustic and atmospheric effects on the area surrounding the new underpass.

The acoustic study covered the subsequent activities:

• Acoustic surveys employing sound level meter measurements in order to determine the noise generated by the railway traffic;
• Noise receptor identification along both railway sides located at maximum 250 m from the center line;
• Control of acoustic climate alterations with respect to the former situation and design of mitigation measures in case the regulatory threshold limits are exceeded;
• Estimate of the acoustic impact of the railway upgrade and design of mitigation measures, through simulation models;

The latter activity was performed using CadnaA program, a software able to define sound propagation in an external field taking into account numerous parameters and factors.

The most significant aspects concerning the environmental conditions of the area played an important part in the development of the Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMP). In fact, the EMP ensures the integration of the overall relevance of the surveys and their economic sustainability through the actions listed below:

• Correlation of pre, in progress and post-construction stages, in order to evaluate the evolution of the environmental situation;
• Assurance of full control of the environmental condition during the construction phase, to rapidly detect any unexpected situation and / or environmental issue and organize the necessary corrective measures (environmental management system of the project);
• Validation of the effectiveness of the mitigation measures;
• Provide the control authorities the elements necessary for the correct execution of the monitoring process.

For what regards the Materials Management and Land Use Plans, the following procedures were implemented:

• Detailed localization of the excavation sites and classification of earth and rocks production cycles, with the assessment of volumes and classification based on their different lithologies and origins;
• Indication of normal industrial practices aimed at improving the technical, product and performance characteristics of the earth and rocks resulting from the excavation activities;
• Determination of implementation methods and characterization results of earth and rocks resulting from the excavation activities;
• Definition of sampling methods, sample preparation and analysis including the indication of the analytical parameters considered, taking into account the natural composition of the earth and rocks;
• Localization of intermediate storage sites, comprising of destination class for urban use and storage time for each site;
• Determination of transport routes between the different areas involved in the management of earth and rocks resulting from the excavation activities.