Railway noise monitoring - a tool to analyse in detail the evolution of noise over time during a rolling stock renewal period

As part of the commissioning of a rail freight project, a noise monitoring system was set up to track the increase in rail freight traffic and to monitor noise over time. Noise monitoring is done by continuous measurement stations, an analysis of the classic noise exposure indexes LAeq,6-22h and LAeq,22-6h is realized, completed by an analysis of several event acoustic indexes, with a distinction between the different traffic types (Freight, regional trains). In addition, the European Regulation EU 2019/774 on the application of the technical specification for interoperability relating to the subsystem 'rolling stock - noise' to the existing freight wagons, obliges the circulation of less noisy freight trains on certain itineraries called "Quieter routes" from 8/12/2024. The projected benefit will not be limited to the nearby residents of these routes but will, by indirect consequence, enable a gradual acoustic gain on all the French rail freight routes, due to the retrofit or renewal of the existing rolling stock. The goal of the noise monitoring system is also to quantify the acoustic gains from the indirect effects of this new regulation.