Railway Noise in Europe - State of the Art Report

Rail is the most sustainable form of mass transport for both passengers and freight. Due to its intrinsic design, rail generates low CO2 emissions and air pollutants, and is efficient in use of land and energy. When considering external transportation costs, a recent EC study shows that rail traffic scores better overall for both passenger and freight transport than road and air traffic [27]. In 2019, the European Commission launched its Green Deal1 to protect the environment and to increase human well-being. This was followed in December 2020 by the new Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy2, setting out how transport transformation will help deliver the Green Deal targets. The aim is for the European Union to be climate-neutral by 2050. For mobility, this requires cleaner, cheaper and healthier forms of transport for both passengers and freight. Rail is set to be the backbone of this transformed mobility system, with the strategy setting targets of doubling high-speed rail by 2030 and doubling rail freight by 2050. Central to the new mobility strategy is the promotion of a modal shift from road and air traffic, which will be needed to deliver important greenhouse gas emission (GHG) savings. The fact that 2021 is the European Year of Rail demonstrates the support for modal shift to rail and presents an opportunity to promote the benefits of rail.

The new mobility strategy will only accelerate the European railways’ commitment to helping society, doing business in a responsible way, and continually improving its performance in providing safe working and environmentally-friendly mobility. Environmental noise is of growing importance in this context as an area with significant potential for improvement. There is a growing recognition that environmental noise has negative effects on public health and socio-economic welfare. This has increased even more with the publication of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Environmental Noise Guidelines in 2018 [103]. Transport noise is one of the main sources of environmental noise. Railways are taking responsibility and have already taken actions that will reduce environmental noise.