This study investigates the vibration characteristics of buildings caused by train operations and proposes a prediction model that considers the interaction between soil and structure. Field measurements were conducted on a two-story building near the Nanjing Metro Line 3 tunnel to determine the vibration propagation from the ground to the building foundation and within the building floors. The results showed that the predicted vibrations closely matched the measured vibrations, indicating the effectiveness of the proposed model. The model simplifies the rigid foundation into a foundation-soil system connected via spring damping and considers the building as a system of axial wave transmission in columns and attached floors. The study also examines the influence of different building heights on soil-structure vibration propagation. The findings reveal that the vibration response of buildings is significantly affected by the type of foundation and soil layer parameters, as well as the coupling effect between soil and structure. The proposed prediction model, based on measured ground vibrations, can accurately predict building vibrations caused by train operations. The model is efficient and suitable for predicting floor vibrations before construction. The study highlights the importance of considering soil-structure interaction in vibration prediction and demonstrates that the proposed method can effectively mitigate uncertainties in vibration propagation in tunnel and soil layers. The model was validated using field measurements and showed good agreement with the measured data. The results indicate that the proposed method is a reliable tool for predicting building vibrations caused by train operations.This study investigates the vibration characteristics of buildings caused by train operations and proposes a prediction model that considers the interaction between soil and structure. Field measurements were conducted on a two-story building near the Nanjing Metro Line 3 tunnel to determine the vibration propagation from the ground to the building foundation and within the building floors. The results showed that the predicted vibrations closely matched the measured vibrations, indicating the effectiveness of the proposed model. The model simplifies the rigid foundation into a foundation-soil system connected via spring damping and considers the building as a system of axial wave transmission in columns and attached floors. The study also examines the influence of different building heights on soil-structure vibration propagation. The findings reveal that the vibration response of buildings is significantly affected by the type of foundation and soil layer parameters, as well as the coupling effect between soil and structure. The proposed prediction model, based on measured ground vibrations, can accurately predict building vibrations caused by train operations. The model is efficient and suitable for predicting floor vibrations before construction. The study highlights the importance of considering soil-structure interaction in vibration prediction and demonstrates that the proposed method can effectively mitigate uncertainties in vibration propagation in tunnel and soil layers. The model was validated using field measurements and showed good agreement with the measured data. The results indicate that the proposed method is a reliable tool for predicting building vibrations caused by train operations.