Development Around Freight Rail Corridors: Noise Assessment and Mitigation

Abstract

As residential encroachment increases along freight rail corridors or near freight hubs, poor acoustic design of residential developments can lead to increased complaints and community resistance to projects aimed at expanding the freight network and delivering economic growth. Developers and consent authorities, including local councils, must follow planning controls to address noise impact in the assessment and design of sensitive development near rail corridors, The Department of Planning and Environment published the Development Near Rail Corridors and Busy Roads—Interim Guideline (2008) to provide guidance to those assessing noise and designing sensitive developments (such as residences) to avoid and mitigate noise impacts. Extensive noise monitoring recently conducted has provided data to improve the quality of assessments and design for areas near curved or steep gradient track and near freight rail hubs. This paper references a comprehensive noise data set as an evidence base to provide guidance on the identification of affectation zones around freight rail corridors and freight rail hubs where risk of land use conflict is high. The paper also presents three case studies giving examples of how residential developments can be designed to address noise from freight operations.