NOISE ACTION PLANS IN URBAN AND SUBURBAN AREAS - A RAILWAY EXPERIENCE IN LISBON

摘要

European cities and transport infrastructures have been developing action plans following European Directive 2002/49/EC on the assessment and reduction of environmental noise as well as national and municipal strategies for the reduction of exposure of populations to noise and for improving the acoustical environment quality. The Cascais railway line connects the city of Lisbon to the town of Cascais, following the Estoril coastline, mostly through urban and suburban areas. Noise maps were drawn and situations requiring noise abatement were identified. Both the rolling stock and the infrastructure show their age, though the former has been improved over the years mainly for cosmetic or passenger comfort reasons. The use of the land close to the railway is mostly residential with some schools and leisure areas. A comprehensive action plan was drawn together with the Portuguese railway authority where a whole range of measures were envisaged and approved, bearing in mind the urban character of the area. Replacement of the rolling stock, renewal of the track structure, introduction of resilient mats and rail dampers, building of acoustical barriers were considered in an optimized fashion in terms of the overall cost-benefit. The acoustical objectives were set-up in accordance with land use noise limit values and with quality criteria. The method and results are presented and discussed.