Waverton and Wollstonecraft rail noise
Waverton and Wollstonecraft Rail Noise Mitigation
Sydney Trains fined
The EPA has issued Sydney Trains with a $15,000 Penalty Notice for failure to maintain railway track on Sydney’s North Shore Line.
Poor track maintenance between Waverton and Wollstonecraft Railway Stations has resulted in excessive noise impacts to nearby residents.
Waverton and Wollstonecraft railway stations are located on the tightest curves on the Sydney Trains rail network. These tight curves cause wheel squeal and flanging noise that affects the local community.
The EPA has worked with Sydney Trains and the local community, including the Waverton Wollstonecraft Rail Noise Action Group (WWRNAG), to address noise concerns. The EPA has required Sydney Trains to undertake Pollution Reduction Programs to identify the cause and identify possible mitigation methods to reduce noise levels in the area, however no clear solutions have emerged to date.
To definitively address this issue the EPA engaged an independent train noise specialist to undertake a critical review of rail noise mitigation works conducted by Sydney Trains to date at Waverton and Wollstonecraft.
The review concluded that Sydney Trains’ maintenance of the railway track had failed to control and progressively reduce noise impacts. The ineffective maintenance of the railway remains a key failing that has prevented appropriate noise mitigation.
Sydney Trains has also commissioned its own independent study to examine rail acoustics, track engineering and wheel/rail dynamics to assist in determining additional noise mitigation options. The results of this study will inform a range of ongoing and future works to reduce noise impacts at Waverton and Wollstonecraft.
The EPA has received a plan from Sydney Trains to perform further maintenance and is engaging with Sydney Trains to ensure that the issue is resolved as quickly as possible.