Experiences of railway bonus in EU countries and adaptation of railway bonus in Finland

Railway noise has been found less annoying than road traffic noise in several European studies. Contributing factors include the structure of traffic, the duration of the noise, various acoustic factors and people's attitudes and experiences of the noise. Through railway bonus, there has been an attempt to illustrate the difference in disturbance between rail and road traffic as well as make the different modes of transport more equal. It would be possible to introduce a similar railway bonus in Finland, but basic information about railway noise annoyance applied for Finnish conditions, as well as information about railway bonus procedures in other countries is needed. This report examines the compatibility of railway bonus for Finnish conditions, using existing studies, literature, and surveys made in other countries. Based on the results, an opinion was formed as to whether the bonus can be applied in Finland, and what measures the implementation would require. Railway bonus in this context means the difference in limit or guideline values for rail and road traffic noise or a correction value in decibels. Railway bonus was first studied in Germany, where the difference in disturbance between rail and road traffic noise was noted already in the first version of the Environmental Noise Act of 1974. Subsequently, railway bonus in one form or another has been put into practice in at least 13 European countries. Railway bonus is affected by many factors, such as traffic composition and volume, times of day, amount of noise and attitude. The amount of bonus varies between 2-15 dB in different countries, and typically has a value of approximately 5 dB. In Germany and Switzerland, the bonus is included in the computation model, while in the other countries it is included in the bonus reference. In some studies outside Europe, a bonus has not been observed, but this has been thought to stem form more frequent and faster transport, as well as cultural differences. In context with this study, a survey was carried out in order to clarify railway bonusrelated experiences and attitudes towards its use in European countries. The survey was sent to a group consisting of environmental authorities, railway operators, contractor representatives, or others working with traffic noise in 25 countries. The persons were from EU countries, Switzerland and Norway. A total of 31 responses were received from 19 different countries. The time when the bonus was introduced varied greatly among respondents, as well as how the bonus is applied. Based on the results, a rough division can be made. In the countries where the bonus has been introduced before 2000, it is used in all situations. In turn, in the countries in which the bonus has been introduced since 2000, the bonus has been used in proportion to traffic, land use, etc. The respondents had the impression that only residents in a few countries are aware of the existence of the bonus. In the countries where the bonus is known, it was received either neutrally or negatively, but the number of respondents to that question was so small that it cannot be regarded as a significant result. The reception towards the bonus among authorities varied as well, but in countries where the bonus has been used a long time, a need was felt to update and revise its use or the amount of its use. The most significant benefits in the use of the bonus have applied to lesser costs for noise reduction, as well as acknowledging the difference in annoyance between road and railway noise. In Finland, a suitable time for introduction of a bonus would be if Finland starts to use the noise indicators Lden and Lnight according to the Environmental Noise Directive. In this case, the guideline values should be reformed in accordance with them, and the railway bonus could be included in the reference values. Even just due to the breakdown of traffic, the guideline values for road and rail transport should be different. Train types in Finland should be taken into consideration when determining the amount of the bonus. One should in particular pay attention to the noise of freight trains. This report may be found at http://alk.tiehallinto.fi/julkaisut/pdf3/lts_2011-11_railway_bonuksen_web.pdf