This report reviews the recent work on aural discomfort caused by air pressure change in railway tunnel. In order to propose a pressure change criterion that is acceptable for passengers, studies have been conducted in a number of countries. Among them, the recent international project promoted by the European Rail Research Institute (ERRI) is very important. According the discussion on aural discomfort in distinction from medical health, ERRI has published two reports, "Base line comfort criteria" and "Specification of a medical health criterion for pressure change." This paper presents an overview of these reports and applications to Japanese railways.

Copyright (c) 2002 Railway Technical Research Institute