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Natural Science Forum / Physics / Acoustics / June 2005EU Whistle Blowing Policy
Does the EU (or individual European countries) have a railroad whistle blowing policy similar to the U.S.'s upcoming whistle blowing rule (i.e., trains must blow horns at grade crossings unless said crossings have installed supplementary safety devices)? Thanks Herb  SignatureHerb Singleton usenet3@ross-specrtrum.com Sound & Vibration Measurements http://www.cross-spectrum.com > Does the EU (or individual European countries) have a railroad whistle > blowing policy similar to the U.S.'s upcoming whistle blowing rule > (i.e., trains must blow horns at grade crossings unless said crossings > have installed supplementary safety devices)? On one of my visits to Italy, we indeed encountered a rural train passby. I was underwhelmed. The gate dropped at least a few minutes before the train came. Folks got out of their cars, stretched and chatted. Then there came this anemic "tweet-tweet" as the electric train approached and passed. Nothing like our great American ear busters there! Angelo Campanella Thanks guys, Herb SignatureHerb Singleton usenet3@ross-specrtrum.com Sound & Vibration Measurements http://www.cross-spectrum.com If you look at www.rssb.co.uk - where RSSB is the Rail Safety and Standards Board - and click through to the Technical Reports you will eventually find GM/RT 2484, Audibility Requirements for Trains. This specifies minimum levels of horns at 5m, which depend on the maximum train speeds. Like from 105dB for trains with speeds 20mph to 50mph to 115dB for trains above 100mph. There is a problem in the south of England at the moment, as new trains were fitted with horns having levels above these and the companies have agreed to reduction in level - sometime in the future. Restrictions have been placed on when horns are sounded, for example it is no longer a requirement to sound off when approaching a tunnel. It is a big problem for people living close to sounding locations and a support group is considering Court action against the railway operators. I do not think that the EU has become so strong as to require a European policy on this. Geoff ____________________________________ > Does the EU (or individual European countries) have a railroad whistle > blowing policy similar to the U.S.'s upcoming whistle blowing rule [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Herb > If you look at www.rssb.co.uk - where RSSB is the Rail Safety and > Standards Board - and click through to the Technical Reports you will > eventually find GM/RT 2484, Audibility Requirements for Trains. This > specifies minimum levels of horns at 5m, which depend on the maximum train > speeds. Like from 105dB for trains with speeds 20mph to 50mph to 115dB for > trains above 100mph. In the US, it's 106 dB @ 100' (30m), which is 20*LOG(6) or 15 dB louder! > It is a big problem for people living close to sounding locations and a > support group is considering Court action against the railway operators. There are occasional uprisings of residents in irritated areas in the US. There is no widespread policy of dropping gates at roadway/track crossings, just clearly visible warning signs. I grew up in Pennsylvania where there were dropping gates at virtually every crossing. Here, in Ohio, such gates have been the exception. Most recently, a few more gates are being installed. Hence the need for loud horns. Angelo Campanella > There are occasional uprisings of residents in irritated areas in the > US. There is no widespread policy of dropping gates at roadway/track > crossings, just clearly visible warning signs. I grew up in Pennsylvania > where there were dropping gates at virtually every crossing. Here, in > Ohio, such gates have been the exception. Most recently, a few more > gates are being installed. > Hence the need for loud horns. From what you write the need for gates is more obvious than the need for extra loud horns. Horns and flashing warning lights are not going to stop people trying to make it across the tracks prior to the 3:30 because it usually runs three minutes late, so there is plenty tim| > Angelo Campanella Kind regards Peter Larsen Signature******************************************* * My site is at: http://www.muyiovatki.dk * * The Vienna Copyright convention applies * ******************************************* > From what you write the need for gates is more obvious than the need for > extra loud horns. Horns and flashing warning lights are not going to > stop people trying to make it across the tracks prior to the 3:30 > because it usually runs three minutes late, so there is plenty tim| The purpose of the horns is to shield the operators from liability - they can say "we did all we could to warn people". There's also the fact that even 4-quad gates aren't going to stop people from trying to make it across the tracks prior to the 3:30 because it usually runs three minutes late (I've seen some scary surveillance videos that illustrates this point perfectly). SignatureHerb Singleton usenet3@ross-specrtrum.com Sound & Vibration Measurements http://www.cross-spectrum.com I recall that the US regulation was tightened ca. 1995. Prior to that it was not necessary to sound the horn at crossings with automatic gates, but then some dunce got her car stuck between the gates (on the tracks) and couldn't drive off to avoid the collision. The FRA response was to mandate horn blowing in addition to crossing gates ~ illogical to all but the legal mind. I remember the changeover vividly because my office was on the 2nd floor of an historic train station, right at horn level, and I would receive maximum SPL every time a train came into the station. - Bill > From what you write the need for gates is more obvious than the need for > extra loud horns. Horns and flashing warning lights are not going to > stop people trying to make it across the tracks prior to the 3:30 > because it usually runs three minutes late, so there is plenty time. It is well known that gates are needed, but it is a matter of public money to do so. Should the railroads pay or should the municipalities? The railroads here in the US midwest travel great distances in straight lines for the transportation of heavy goods and coal. Since there is essentially no passenger traffic, their time table is not critical. So one really never knows when to expect a train. Many urban overpasses and underpasses are built by municipalities to avoid roadway traffic delays, to avoid the horn sounds needed, and to avoid the danger. Many freight trains travel at night, taking the day time to be reassembled in switching yards. Rules say that the horn sounding must be 1500' (500m) before any roadway crossing. With crossings about one per km in and around cities, and fewer in the rural areas, we hear horn soundings sometimes at night where sound carries greater distances. (closest track for me is 2km west, another 3km east). I often hear the diesel engine cruising sounds, often and consistently at night; exhaust fundamental in the 63 and 125 Hz octave bands. >>Angelo Campanella |
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