The impact of railway noise on urban infrastructure

Rail transport is the most accessible and efficient for transporting bulk cargo and passengers in terms of price-quality ratio, but it also has certain disadvantages. An extensive network of junctions and stopping points in the residential zones of densely populated cities and industrial centers - places where freight and passenger trains are formed - negatively affects the health of the population. The operation of rolling stock and other transport processes lead to the presence of a significant number of sound waves of various frequencies, which have a negative impact on the human body, within the limits of mass gatherings and round-the-clock residence of people. Complaints about excessive noise in large cities, for example to Rospotrebnadzor, account for about 65% of the total number of complaints about unfavorable living conditions in residential areas. At the same time, the contribution of the transport complex to urban noise is 55% of the total share of noise pollution. Every year there is an increase in the population entering the zone of ‘acoustic discomfort’; currently its share is 55–70% of the population of developed and developing countries.

At the test site of the West Siberian Railway, a search, measurement and subsequent assessment of noise levels, a comprehensive analysis of transport infrastructure facilities were organized in order to identify areas of excess noise that have a negative impact on humans within the residential area, located in close proximity to the railway infrastructure of passenger, suburban and freight traffic.

Since the West Siberian Railway has a significant area, high traffic intensity of freight and passenger trains, the railway tracks are located in close proximity to residential or public buildings in which people spend quite a lot of time, including at night, and there are additional sources of noise in the form of highways. The measurement results, their processing and initial recommendations for the formation of noise protection systems are presented in this article. 

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