Technikworkshop RP-Umweltministerium Mainz

Technology workshop on railway noise measurement / rail noise monitoring

On 09/10/2014 took place in the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Environment a non-public workshop about train noise measurement / rail noise monitoring. Siegfried Pieper held the last of the papers and turned on themselves live on a system. The INNOtec products LASCA, MONI and MOVIE are the only currently available and proven systems that meet the requirements of a wheel-and cause-accurate noise measurement. The presentation can be found at the bottom of the page.

Objectives of the workshop

The workshop was primarily to serve the exchange of information and the search for technical solutions between representatives of environmental and transport ministries of the Federation and the countries, of the railway and the supervisory authority, of state environmental agencies, representatives from science and technology, labor ring noise of the German Acoustical Society, of technology providers and the Swiss Federal Office of Transport.

Starting point

Rail transport is considered a relatively environmentally friendly mode of transport. However, this applies only if the noise is sufficiently beeing observed. Against the background of striving for further shifting freight from road to rail and associated increasing numbers of trains or lengths or the development of infrastructure, it is one of the most urgent tasks to produce acceptance by the population or to receive them.

The noise pollution caused by rail traffic can be as well as the effect observed directly and objectively by local or global mitigation measures by noise measurements. Noise measurements thus creating transparency. Especially independent measurements can contribute to a better acceptance.

The requirement for a monitoring of railway noise has already been the subject of political initiatives: On 25 February 2010, the 10-point program "Quiet Rhine Valley" Environmental and Transport Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse was adopted, which states: "This in National Traffic Noise Package II formulated the goal of halving rail noise, ie, towards lower today at 10 dB, is implemented by a concrete time and stage plan. This objective must be achieved safely for highly stressed Middle Rhine Valley. Aaccompanied by a noise monitoring are set up permanent monitoring stations. "

In the Middle Rhine Valley shortly Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse have ever taken a noise monitoring station in operation and publish the test results ever since. The 10-point program was also part of the coalition agreement following the ruling parties of the state governments in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse.

In its most recent decision on the topic - "Less train noise and vibration: Concept for the Rhine Valley" from 25.09.2014 of Rhineland-Palatinate Parliament calls for, among other things, "Noise measurement network to identify louder and not retrofitted wagons". In addition, the railway is to be committed to "undertake comprehensive noise measurements and publish them continuously".

The Federal Council has decided on a draft law on the restructuring of the regulation in the railway sector (BR Drs 559/12, 23.11.2012.) For noise monitoring as follows: "The railway infrastructure company, to the extent permitted by the supervisory authority of representative points of the railway network, particularly in railways or routes with high noise potential, the night-time continuous registering measurements on the development of railway noise (noise monitoring). The measurement and evaluation results are submitted to the supervisory authority regularly and beeing published. "This proposed legislation was not yet implemented by the federal government.

For railway noise the coalition agreement of the parties in government for the 18th legislative period says: "The rail noise we want to halve by 2020 in Germany. From this point noisy wagons may no longer run in the German rail network. We continue the funding for the conversion to noise-reducing brakes. The state of the conversion we will evaluate in 2016. If by this time not at least half the trains running in Germany wagons were beeing converted we will implement during this term regulatory measures on busy freight lines - as night driving restrictions for non-renewed freight wagons ".

Also from citizens stations are required for railway noise recently are beeing concerned strengthened.

In Switzerland, the independent metrological monitoring of railway noise is fixed by law and is carried out since 2003 at six fixed locations.

In addition to the countries of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse the DB Netz AG in the Middle Rhine Valley now also operates on both sides of the Rhine one monitoring station and plans to publish results until late 2014.

Results

Proven technology for the measurement of railway noise is available in Germany or Switzerland already for a variety of tasks. This includes technology for axis and wagon sharp measuring noise and acoustic identification of flats of wheels when passing. Different noisy wagons can be distinguished from each measurement.

While provinces for the exposure of the population is determined on railway lines by ambient air quality monitoring stations by country, are suitable for future, more uniform nationwide monitoring networks, eg normalized, lineside emission measurements. To train types easily and securely to recognize by their axle pattern, access to the track is required.

While with measurement stations of the countries the exposure of the population next to railway lines is determined with immission measurements, future nationwide monitoring networks are more suitable than uniform ones, eg normalized, lineside emission measurements. To recognize train types easily and securely by their axle pattern, access to the track is required.

For the nationwide collection of freight train intercourse satisfy comparatively little measurement locations. So 49% of the traffic running passes 6 stations, 15 stations capture 69% of the traffic. In Switzerland there is comparatively a monitoring network of 6 stations.

By noise monitoring in particular the state of the conversion can be determined continuously.

Furthermore, the real noise emissions, changes in annual average sound level and the frequency distribution of individual sound events can be tracked by the noise monitoring, for example. With the acoustic data thecalculation of noise maps can be verified or compliance with noise limits are checked. Noise-related track access charges could be laid down, taking into account the real noise emissions, including the maintenance state.

To make sanctioning or other measures based on the real noise, it requires appropriate assessment criteria. Their review must provide sufficient reliable, fairly reliable results.

Since the acoustic condition of the track is variable and also has a significant influence on the noise, it is suitable to detect.

View

It is a matter for the railway and their owners, the supervisory authorities and other decision-makers, including the federal and state governments to specify requirements for railway noise measurements / rail noise monitoring. For example, it takes place in Switzerland the railway noise abatement and the accompanying traffic noise monitoring on a statutory basis. The technologies needed to realize such specifications are available.

 A detailed summary of the results from the perspective of the organizer and the presentations of the individual speakers can be found here:


- Summary [1]
- Presentation of the Railway noise measuring stationahnlärmmessstationen of  Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse [2]
- Presentation of the Monitoring Stations  [3] of the DB Netz AG in the Middle Rhine Valleyl
Monitoring Rail Noise 2003-2014  [4] of the Swiss Federal Office of Transport
- Concept Blocks [5] for a monitoring of the railway traffic noise
- Rail noise measurement / rail noise monitoring [6] from the point of view of the working ring noise of the German Society for Acoustic ALD


Company Profiles
Wölfel GmbH&Co. KG / psiacoustic GmbH [7]
Norsonic-Tipkemper GmbH / G.R.A.S.-Tippkemper GmbH & Co. KG [8]
Gesellschaft für Sonder-EDV-Anlagen mbH [9]
Prose AG  [10]
Brüel & Kjær GmbH [11]
Müller-BBM GmbH [12]
Innotec Systems GmbH / Möhler & Partner Ingenieure AG [13]