Railway transportation as a source of soil pollution

•PCBs are present in the soil next to the railroad and do not exceed admissible pollution levels.•Levels of Cu, Zn, Ni and Pb in soil are most associated with human activities along the railroad.•The most polluted area is located at a distance up to 1 km from the railroad and nearby railway stations.

Surface soil (0-10 cm) samples from 60 sampling sites along the length of railway tracks on the territory of Srem (the western part of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, itself part of Serbia) were collected and analyzed for seven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and ten heavy metals in order to see how the distance from the railroad affects the concentration of some organic and inorganic pollutants in the soil. Samples were taken at a distance of 0.03-4.19 km from the railway. For the soil extraction was used USEPA 3540S method. The extracts were purified on a silica-gel column (USEPA 3630C). The analysis of the extracts was performed by gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. PCBs were not detected only at two locations. Mean total concentration of PCBs for all other sampling locations was 0.0043 ppm dry weight (dw) with a range of 0.0005-0.0227 ppm dw. According to values of Nemerow pollution index Cu, Co, Zn and Ni were the most ubiquitous heavy metals in the area near railroad. Based on these results, it can be said that railway transport is a potential source of PCBs and some heavy metals.