The negative effect of traffic noise on human health is indisputable. The article illustrates the magnitude of this problem in selected European capitals using data made available by the European Environment Agency, collected as a part of strategic noise mapping under Directive 2002/49/EC. The purpose of the described studies is to determine the number of people suffering from noise-induced health problems, and to compare the effect of the road noise on human health with the effect of noise from rail vehicles. Studies concern noise annoyance, induced sleep disturbance, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years, or DALY index. Analyses clearly show that environmental pollution from road noise often exceeds environmental pollution from railway noise by a factor of 10. In addition, studies show that in many cities, more than half of the population is exposed to road noise exceeding the acceptable values. The worst of all selected agglomerations with regard to people exposed to road and rail noise is Paris, the capital of France. It should be noted, however, that it has the highest population density of all the analyzed cities and a very well developed transport network. Further studies are needed to characterize the effect of traffic noise on inhabitant health more accurately, using specific indicators allowing to do so.

The main objectives of the introduced Directive 2002/49/EC are to harmonize the activities intended to control the harmful effects of noise pollution and to standardize the methodology for their assessment. Strategic acoustic maps drawn up in the EU Member States allow for determining the state of environmental noise pollution and planning preventive measures. This study involved analyses of noise levels in selected European capitals and Polish cities. The number of inhabitants who may be affected by a high degree of sleep disturbance caused by railway noise was also analyzed. An attempt was made to present a correlation between the scale of noise exposure and population density, the length of the existing railway infrastructure, and the type of areas with railways running through them. The most unfavorable type of development in terms of the number of people exposed to noise is compact development located directly along railway lines. Thanks to the acoustic maps, it is possible to locate the most noise-polluted places and establish a hierarchy of protective measures.

The paper concerns the results of research on the use of different types of noise mitigation measures on railway lines. The main goal of the work was to compare the effectiveness of selected methods used in Poland. The best results were observed when a combination of under sleeper pads and rail dampers was used. Additionally, the relationship between noise reduction and train speed was studied.

W artykule porównano wybrane rozwiązania ochrony przed hałasem stosowane na liniach kolejowych w Polsce i przedstawiono wyniki badań wielkości redukcji hałasu kolejowego przez cztery typy zabezpieczeń akustycznych. Najlepsze wyniki redukcji poziomu dźwięku uzyskano w przypadku zastosowania kombinacji podkładek podpodkładowych z tłumikami szynowymi, a najmniej skuteczną metodą okazały się podkładki amortyzacyjne. Ponadto zbadano zależność pomiędzy wielkością redukcji hałasu a prędkością pociągów. Analiza danych jednoznacznie wskazała zwiększenie wartości redukcji hałasu wraz ze wzrostem prędkości pociągu.

Railway noise assessment is an important tool in decision-making for urban planning, investment in transportation infrastructure and implementation of noise reduction strategies. Currently, the procedure is based on CNOSSOS-EU (Common Noise Assessment Methods in Europe), which was developed in accordance with European Directive 2002/49/EC. This method takes into account a variety of factors impacting rail noise levels, such as vehicle characteristics and track features. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of rail roughness on generated railway noise and to evaluate the accuracy of calculation models using CNOSSOS-EU. The study involved in-situ railway noise measurements at three different locations near the city of Zagreb, Croatia, and measuring rail roughness at each location. In order to eliminate the influence of other factors, the rail track structures at the measurement locations were similar, and an identical train configuration was used for the study. Finally, a comparison was made between calculation models based on default roughness values and models including values obtained from in-situ measurements. This approach enabled an assessment of the variations in CNOSSOS-EU calculation models taking into account actual in-situ rail roughness measurements.