Stakeholder Consultation on Noise

As railway noise is an important issue for Corridor A, a working group of the ministries was set up in 2009. The aim of that working group is to find coordinated measures for noise mitigation. Therefore, a corridor noise study was initiated end of 2009. A team of consultants from every corridor country conducted this study by analysing questionaires answered by infrastructure managers, railway undertakings and other stakeholders of Corridor A.

In April, a stakeholder consultation on noise organised by the Dutch Ministry of Transport took place in Frankfurt at the premises of the German National Safety Auhority (EBA). Infrastructure managers, railway undertakings, waggon owners, the Ministries of Transport as well as railway associations (CER, UIC) and the PMO of Corridor A were invited to discuss the intermediate results of the noise study. A direct refund of initial refitting costs and a direct bonus on operational costs per axle-km were exposed as the preliminary optimal alternative. This model would account for approximately eight years whereat the investment volume would not be depending on a corridor sharp or nation wide scope.
The final results of the study will be published at the end of June. Based on these results, the ministries will decide upon their possibilities to launch a harmonised noise reduction scheme as soon as possible.