Structural elements of railway buildings in transition zones are important parts of railway lines, where the structure of their materials is fundamentally changing. In the presented research results, these are changes in the railway body between a railway with a classic trackbed and a railway with a fixed track. The used materials of the transition zone and associated railway sections must be resistant to the effects of frost in winter. The experiments show the detected freezing depths using a zero isotherm at 0 °C. The temperature period before the onset of frost in winter is also an important factor. Numerical models of transition zones were loaded by freezing conditions. Based on the results of the experiments, frost protection measures have been proposed. To improve the temperature transition through the layers, materials with a low coefficient of thermal conductivity of transition zones have been proposed in the experimental models.

This paper presents environmental acute problems from increasing noise levels caused by automobile and rail transport. Noise barriers are considered to be an effective element in reducing noise in densely populated urban areas. However, do these barriers have the correct height, shape, material design, and construction? In the materials and methods, the basic characteristics of noise barrier, sound absorption, and sound insulation are described. Further, measurement methods of the insertion loss of outdoor noise barriers of all types using the direct and indirect method according to standard ISO 10847 and the Adrienne method according to standards EN 1793-5 and EN 1793-6 are presented. The measurement results of insertion loss of the selected noise barrier obtained by the indirect method showed a value of 19.1 dB(A) of insertion loss. This result was compared with simulation by our own software based on the CNOSSOS methodology, giving value of 19.6 dB(A), which is a good correlation. The Adrienne method was used for determination of the airborne sound insulation index of another noise barrier, giving a value of the single-number rating of the sound insulation of the barrier of 28 dB. In discussion, according to EN 1793-2, this value assigns an insulation index of category D3, which means that the barrier is high quality and has satisfactory airborne sound insulation. The advantages and disadvantages of both methods according to STN ISO 10847 and STN EN 1793-6 were discussed. We concluded that the main advantage of the method Adrienne—TN EN 1793-6 is that it can be used in situ under direct sound field conditions and can directly evaluate the sound insulation index of the whole barrier structure.

The subject of the research is the investigation of the behavior of railway tracks in places with a significant change in the stiffness of the track. These parts can be designed from various structural elements and their materials, and this mainly results in a height change of the track level during its operation. These transition zones are monitored and expertly examined to detect undesirable deformations of the geometrical position of the track caused by the trains running. The transition zones are at the points where the fixed track transitions to the classic track bed, in our case it is their combination with bridge structures, especially at their supports. In Slovakia, under the conditions of the Railways of the Slovak Republic, the issue is topical within the framework of the modernization of trans-European railway corridors. The results of experimental measurements and their analysis will provide relevant data for subsequent research solutions for their new numerical modelling, which will ensure a smooth passage through these points of change without height fluctuations, vibrations, and shocks from the wheels of train sets.

Most of the railway lines in Slovakia were built in the second half of the 19th century, or until 1918 (the establishment of Czechoslovakia). Except for the post-World War II period, when approximately 71 % of the Slovak lines had to be renewed, limited funds have been spent on repair and reconstruction works on the lines located in the Slovak territory [1]. Nowadays, there is an effort to modernize the main railway lines but also to revamp the local lines. This is also a case of the line section Poltár - Utekáč, where in the near future a sleeper, which is in very poor technical condition, will be replaced by a Y-type sleeper. On this occasion, the impact of the new structure on the noise emission from the sleeper should also be assessed.

Purpose of the noise barriers is to create an acoustically sufficient impermeable obstacle located on the sound wave propagation path, thereby creating a shadow of the sound pressure level behind the barrier. The paper is focused on the analysis of measured noise values at specific selected points of the railway track in the region of Kysuce without noise barrier and on the determination of noise barrier efficiency. The observed values are compared with the permissible noise values specified by the Slovak legislation

The subject of the research is the investigation of the behavior of railway tracks in locations with a significant change in the stiffness of the track. These locations can be designed from various structural elements and their materials, and this mainly results in a height change of the track level during its operation. These transition zones are monitored and expertly examined in order to detect undesirable deformations of the geometrical position of the track caused by the trains running. The transition zones are at the points where the fixed track transitions to the classic track bed, in our case it is their combination with bridge structures, especially at their supports. In Slovakia, under the conditions of the Railways of the Slovak Republic, the issue is topical within the framework of the modernization of trans-European railway corridors. The results of experimental measurements and their analysis will provide relevant data for subsequent research solutions for their new numerical modeling, which will ensure a smooth passage through these points of change without height fluctuations, vibrations, and shocks from the wheels of train sets.