URV project identifies the freight train disrupting residents’ sleep in El Serrallo

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A citizen science project led by the CloudLab research group at the URV has identified the freight train responsible for disturbing the sleep of residents in the El Serrallo neighborhood of Tarragona. Through the Soundless project, researchers combined noise measurements with health data collected from smart bracelets to analyze the effects of nighttime railway traffic on sleep quality and heart rate. The study found that a freight train known locally as the “carboner,” which operates between 4 and 5 a.m., generates noise peaks of up to 90 decibels—twice the maximum level recommended by the World Health Organization—causing significant sleep disruption and physiological stress among nearby residents.

Read the URV’s news for more information (in Catalan).