Living close to railways: Cross-sectional analysis of ground-borne vibrations and vibration annoyance.

• Rail traffic is increasing following policy recommendations for sustainability. • People living close to rail tracks are exposed to both vibration and noise. • We show strong dose–response relationships for modelled vibration and annoyance. • The associations are strongest for freight trains. • Important to consider railway noise in the investigation of vibration annoyance. Rail traffic is increasing following policy recommendations for a sustainable transportation model. However, the health effects of rail traffic vibration on residents living close to railways remain underexplored. We aimed to investigate the relationships between rail traffic vibration and vibration annoyance from different types of trains and to explore the influence of railway noise on these relationships. The study population (N = 7280) was randomly selected from adults living within 1 km of a trafficked railway in Sweden. Survey data were combined with modelled rail traffic vibration and noise. A cross-sectional design and logistic regression analysis were used. Results support a dose–response relationship between vibration and annoyance (stronger for freight trains and weaker for passenger trains). In the adjusted analysis, we observe a robust association between vibration and annoyance from all types of trains, accounting for socioeconomic factors. Furthermore, railway noise appears to modulate the vibration annoyance response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]