Acoustic Impact of Rail Transport on Residential Areas of the City of Voronezh

Abstract

Introduction: Adverse human health effects of railway noise are examined in many foreign and domestic studies. The purpose of our work was to assess the noise impact of rail transport and its contribution to creating an acoustic discomfort zone in residential areas of the city of Voronezh. Materials and methods: We took 36 noise measurements at nine monitoring points in the residential area of single-family housing construction at the distances of 25, 50, and 75 meters from the main local source of noise, i.e. railway traffic, including long-distance and suburban passenger trains. The “Assistant” sound level meter (accuracy class 1) was used for measurements taken in November 2023 – January 2024 on weekends (Sat–Sun) in the daytime and at night. Contribution of railway transport to the overall noise level was then estimated. Results: Field measurements showed that in the daytime, the equivalent noise level along the railway track exceeded hygienic standards by 1.4 to 1.7 dBA in the absence of railway traffic due to the proximity to a highway (70 m) and by 14 to 18.6 dBA in its presence; at night – by 2.2 to 3.2 dBA and by 25 to 29.9 dBA, respectively. This means that during 24 hours, 30 % of the territory of the study object is exposed to higher noise levels in the absence of railway traffic. During the passage of long-distance passenger trains and suburban electric trains, the discomfort zone increases to 60 % in the daytime and to 100 % at night. Conclusions: In our case, rail transport noise pollution can be reduced by installing additional translucent noise shields, landscaping the adjacent territory to separate residential buildings from railway tracks, and planting trees and shrubs. In general, when designing railway lines and their infrastructure facilities, it is important to envisage sanitary gaps with modern means of protection against noise.