Sector: Rail & Transit
Uniting Communities with Effective Transit Design
Elevating the commuter experience
Want to achieve safe, efficient, and environmentally integrated transportation solutions for your next transit project? Our extensive expertise in air quality, noise and vibration control, and advanced modeling techniques allows us to enhance the design and operation of transit systems. Optimize passenger comfort and safety, ensuring that transit infrastructure operates in harmony with surrounding communities. By employing innovative approaches such as wind tunnel testing and track form optimization, we empower our clients to meet regulatory requirements while minimizing environmental impacts, ultimately fostering vibrant and resilient transit projects that enhance the passenger experience.
Addressing rail & transit challenges
The rail and transit industry faces challenges such as aging infrastructure, the high cost of maintenance and upgrades, and the need to integrate new technologies for efficiency and safety. Additionally, there is pressure to meet growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly transportation while navigating complex regulatory frameworks and funding constraints. The industry also struggles with maintaining consistent, reliable service and ensuring resilience in a changing climate and adapting to the changing needs in order to accommodate future population growth and urbanization.
The right insights at the right time
From planning to construction and operations, we have the right experience and expertise to solve any rail and transit project challenge. Explore services for every stage of the lifecycle.
Services
- Environmental assessment
- Noise & vibration
- Air quality
- Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
- Climate change/climate resiliency
- Decarbonization strategies & roadmap
- Sustainability planning & roadmap
- Climate & resiliency preparation
How we help
We collaborate and support your vision with technical expertise across every climate and performance engineering discipline. Create more resilient rail and transit systems that exist in harmony with their environment and community.
Elevating the passenger experience means building rail and transit that prioritizes their comfort and satisfaction. Our expertise in environmental science allows us to improve air quality and reduce noise levels in transit environments. We strive to create spaces that are not only safe but also enjoyable, ensuring that every journey is a positive experience for riders.
By leveraging our deep understanding of regulatory frameworks and cutting-edge modeling techniques, we help you anticipate and address potential compliance issues before they become obstacles, saving you time and resources in the long run. We ensure that your project meets all necessary environmental and safety regulations, facilitating smoother approvals and minimizing the risk of costly delays.
Reduce the likelihood of disruptions during both construction and operations with expert engineering solutions. Our team employs advanced modeling and assessment techniques to identify potential risks early in the project lifecycle. By proactively addressing issues related to air quality, noise, and vibration, we help you identify and implement effective mitigation strategies.
Successful rail and transit projects avoid unnecessary expenditures, ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently and effectively. We are dedicated to helping you optimize your project budgets. Through our innovative design solutions and targeted assessments, we accurately predict the need for interventions, such as specialized track designs.
Holistic engineering solutions
Rail and transit design and operational challenges are complex. Our holistic suite of services offers climate responsive design and human-centric solutions that maximize performance and minimize environmental impact.
Regulatory or permitting requirements
For successful rail and transit projects, efficiently navigating intricate regulatory landscapes can help keep a project on track. Our team of experts is well-versed in local, national, and international standards, ensuring your project meets all necessary requirements. We provide comprehensive support for air quality assessments, noise impact studies, and vibration analyses, tailoring our approach to your specific project needs. Our innovative smoke management and emissions control strategies not only meet regulatory standards but often exceed them.
Monitoring solutions for rail and transit construction
We provide industry-leading construction monitoring for rail and transit projects, offering real-time data on air quality, dust levels, noise, and vibration at your construction sites. Our systems enable immediate detection and rapid response to any exceedances. Our expert analysis helps identify trends and potential issues and delivers actionable insights to optimize your construction operations. We tailor monitoring plans to meet regulatory and project-specific needs, ensuring compliance, cost-efficiency, and enhanced sustainability.
Mitigation design
RWDI provides comprehensive and innovative mitigation design for rail and transit projects. We address unique environmental challenges such as shifting sand dunes, urban infrastructure, and heritage sites. Our multidisciplinary team brings expertise in aerodynamics, geology, structural engineering, and environmental science to develop holistic solutions. These include wind barriers to prevent sand accumulation on tracks, vibration isolation systems to protect nearby structures, and noise abatement strategies that integrate with the urban landscape.
Enhanced passenger experience
We believe rail and transit systems should offer more than transportation. They should provide a comfortable, safe, and enjoyable experience for all. Our data-driven approach enhances the passenger experience through tailored noise reduction, pedestrian-level wind studies, and meteorological analysis to improve thermal comfort and air quality. Our vibration specialists use advanced damping technologies and structural optimization to minimize footfall vibrations and improve ride quality. By integrating these elements, we create transit environments that meet functional needs and elevate user satisfaction, helping increase ridership.
Bond Street Station Upgrade
Noise, acoustics, and vibration monitoring for the upgrade of a station in the London Underground
Central 1 (C1) Section of HS2 Phase 1
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FAQs about our rail & transit services
Still have questions? Contact us.
RWDI has worked on a variety of transit projects globally including metros, light rail and urban transit, commuter trains, high speed rail, intercity rail, stations, and rail corridors.
We lead environmental assessments and manage permitting processes from early planning through construction. Our team specializes in air quality modeling, noise and vibration studies, dust and odor control, and compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. We understand the operational realities of rail infrastructure and work to minimize environmental impact while keeping your project on track.
Yes, we apply climate modeling, site-specific weather forecasting, and risk assessments to help rail systems adapt to changing conditions like extreme heat, precipitation, flooding, and wind. We’ve worked on resilient design strategies for rail corridors, elevated structures, tunnels, and maintenance facilities, ensuring long-term performance under future climate scenarios.
We do. Our work spans early-phase planning for new corridors and transit hubs, as well as retrofits and upgrades for existing assets. We support our clients with feasibility studies, environmental permitting, structural and building science evaluations, and commissioning. Whether you’re expanding service or modernizing infrastructure, we bring proven experience across the full lifecycle.
We conduct detailed modeling and field measurements to evaluate rail-generated noise and vibration impacts, especially in densely populated or sensitive zones. Our team designs practical and tailored mitigation strategies to meet compliance standards and minimize community disruption.