CLASSIFICATION OF RAILWAY LINES BY NOISE EMISSION FOR NOISE PROTECTION DESIGN

Abstract

Rail transport is one of the main sources of noise pollution in cities. It impacts up to 10% of residential territories in Russia. In this article, the factors affecting the noise emission of railway lines are analyzed and a calculation method is proposed to estimate the noise levels of railway traffic flows. The calculations carried out using the proposed method made it possible to estimate the noise levels of railway lines of various categories, ranging from 60 to 80 dBA, depending on the flow and the limit speed of the railway. Calculations show that dwellings at a distance of 70 to 950 m is under the influence of noise of railway lines exceeding limits. The proposed classification of railway lines by noise levels is laid as the basis for the development of noise maps, it also allowed to determine the most effective noise protection measures to ensure acceptable noise levels in the surrounding area. The most effective measures to reduce noise of trains seem to be a set of measures aimed at both reducing the noise at the source and on the propagation path, i.e. noise screens and their combination with measures to improve rolling stock and acoustic properties of the track.