Examination of Relationship Between Railway Noise, Lifestyle Activities and Passive Noise Protection Solutions Among the Population Living Near the Train Marshalling Yard of Sopron

Abstract

Noise pollution from traffic is a growing social challenge. The effects of railway noise are concentrated in transport hubs, such as marshalling yards. Various sources of vehicle noise negatively affect quality of life and can disrupt everyday activities. Despite this, protection against sound effects at the individual level is practically limited to the use of passive noise protection solutions. The purpose of this article was therefore to examine the subjective correlations between railway noise events, disrupted daily activities and passive noise protection solutions found in households by means of a questionnaire survey among the population living in the vicinity of the train marshalling yard of Sopron, Hungary. The received binary (yes or no) answers were evaluated using Fisher tests, first between noise events and disturbed activities, and then between activities and noise protection solutions. The correlation values included in tables were also supplemented with correlations between the groups, combined from answer options. It could be concluded that the role of passenger and freight trains in this environment goes far beyond train marshalling. In addition, the effects on resting and recreation are outstanding, and effective solutions are to plant vegetation and use thermal insulation to reduce them. To expand the results above in the future, it is necessary to compare the answers with objective acoustic parameters with independence tests and to repeat the questionnaire survey in similar living environments in other cities to recognize regional trends.