Chapter 5 - Transportation Noise

Abstract

This chapter describes how the three main modes of transportation – road, rail and air – are accounted for in noise emission calculation models. Each mode is addressed individually and, in each case, the main source mechanisms are identified and described. We refer primarily to the CNOSSOS-EU calculation method to demonstrate how each source is accounted for in noise modelling as well as summarising a variety of other national noise calculation methods that have been widely used in the past, both in the European Union and beyond. The required input datasets for each emission model are identified and the steps describing how calculations are performed are outlined. In this way, an understanding is provided of how different noise calculation methods predict source emissions. The chapter concludes with observations on the technical limitations of several prediction methods and how the common ‘purpose-built’ calculation method, CNOSSOS-EU, might serve to advance the current state of the art in source emission modelling for transportation sources.