Rail vehicle passengers demand comfortable journeys. A passenger who wishes to work or readduring her or his journey needs to be able to focus without being distracted by disturbing sounds orvibrations that makes writing difficult. In addition to the direct disturbance effect, such sounds andvibrations significantly affect passengers’ perception of product quality and are therefore importantfactors to attract and keep passengers from other less energy effective modes of transportation. Inthis perspective the acoustic and vibrational interior comfort of rail vehicles is an important factorwhen seeking to promote travel with relatively low energy and environmental impact.  A study of annoying sounds and vibrations generated by train interiors is reported. Anumber of different types of annoying sounds are discussed with respect to the effects they have onthe passengers and a notation for distinguishing annoying sounds of different character is defined.Annoying sounds in vehicles are categorized with respect to the underlying generation mechanismsand measures for mitigation are discussed in general terms as well as the state‐of‐art regardingmetrics for analysis of disturbing sounds. Furthermore, a literature survey of annoying sounds andvibrations in cars is presented together with procedures and methodologies to reduce theoccurrence of such sounds. It is suggested that pro‐active methodologies to minimize annoyingsound and vibration in cars could be transferred and adapted to be used in rail vehicle design andmanufacturing, for example component testing in shaker rigs.  An investigation of disturbing sounds and interior vibrations on Swedish intercity trains isalso reported. It is found that a large majority of the annoying sounds onboard a Swedish intercitytrain is of tapping and rattling type, originating from components like ceiling panels, light covers,cabinet doors, interior sliding doors and foldable tables. A number of case studies are presentedbased on observations on operating vehicles. From the survey it is found that for some vehicles thenumber of annoying sounds and vibration issues related to interiors is substantial. Also for vehicleswith less than 10 year operation. This observation underlines the need for systematic abatementprocedures and proactive activities from the manufacturers to ensure comfortable train journeys.  Finally, best practice design solutions to reduce interior vibrations and annoying soundsfrom train interiors are presented. The solutions discussed include:  • Monitoring and reporting programs in operating vehicles.  • Systematic application of vibration testing in the component and system quality assurance programs.  • Effective source isolation systems for important vibrating systems like compressors andpropulsion systems.  • Squeake and rattle free mounting techniques for interior panels, doors and lightingsystem.  • Low vibration design and mounting strategies for passenger chairs and interior tables.