How Can Infrastructure Manager Influence Noise Generation of Rolling Stock

Abstract

Liberalisation of the European railway market dramatically changed the position of the railway infrastructure manager. A study for the Austrian Ministry of Transport came up with a proposal how to influence the noise generation of rolling stock by introducing a noise related track access charge. Although all cost benefit studies show that investments in noise reduction at the source are more effective than investments into noise barriers from the macro economic view, there is no economic benefit at the moment for train operators and rolling stock owners from investments on noise attenuation. This situation can be changed by including noise generation in the track access charge. Different approaches of relating track access charge to noise generation have been studied and assessed and will be presented by this paper. The system proposed includes the existing administrative and highlight the changes that are necessary as well as the acoustical aspects of basing the charge on type testing or on actual measured noise data.