Too Many Toots

From eNews 482 – Friday, 5 February 2010

Residents living adjacent to the Eastern Suburbs Railway Line suffer train noise impacts, particularly when trains sound their horns entering tunnels. Noise travels across a large area and affects many people in apartment buildings adjacent to tracks.

Residents from Edgecliff, Woolloomooloo, and Rushcutters Bay report train horns being sounded from as early as 4.15am, continuing throughout the day until 1am, affecting their ability to get a good night's sleep.

Train drivers must sound horns to warn track workers when entering and leaving tunnels because of limited visibility. In responding to my representations and questions in Parliament, the Minister has told me that some tunnels are exempt from this requirement. I am asking the Minister to exempt Woolloomooloo and Edgecliff.

Because noise barrier walls can only block noise where there is a direct line of sight to homes, they are not effective in densely populated areas, the Minister said. An assessment of Edgecliff station will be included in a noise abatement program RailCorp is trialling.

When Parliament resumes, I will ask the Minister to also include Woolloomooloo and Rushcutters Bay in the trial. I also continue pushing for access upgrades to inner city railway stations including Edgecliff, which the Minister says is due in 2015/6.

Residents should report concerns about train noise to RailCorp so that the Government is aware of the scale of these impacts. The Minister told me that in the last six years there have been 16 complaints about train horns at Edgecliff, including six between October and December last year.

Information

  Transport Complaints: Telephone 131 500 (6am-10pm) or online www.131500.com.au

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