Noise reduction
Noise reduction target
Further reducing the impacts of rail transport noise on local residents is an essential prerequisite for the further shift in the mode of transport towards rail. We are therefore continuing our efforts to achieve our 2030/2050 noise reduction target:
- By 2030, as part of the continuation of the Federal Government’s noise remediation program, we will reduce rail transport noise on a total of 3,250 km of existing lines, helping to relieve the burden on about 800,000 people and therefore half of the residents living near noisy rail transport lines.
- By 2050, we will have completely remedied the noise pollution caused by rail transport on about 6,500 km of existing lines, thus helping 1.6 million residents in affected areas.
By the end of June 2022, we had put on-site noise remediation measures in place on a total of 2,137 km of track. Using € 50.9 million from the Federal Government’s budgetary funds, 17.4 km of noise barriersno. 25 were built in the first half of 2022 as part of the noise remediation program, and 783 apartments were fitted with passive soundproofing measuresno. 101. Noise remediation also takes place directly at the source: the vehicles themselves. The switch from diesel drives to hybrid trainsno. 44 helps to reduce noise pollution.
The installation of a new drive unit completed in February 2022 as part of the conversion of the hybrid train HybridFLEX from DB Arriva not only helps to reduce GHG emissions, but also to lower noise pollution by 75%.