RAILROAD NOISE: ECONOMIC VALUATION AND POLICY

This paper presents a causal chain model in which railroad traffic density, noise emission, noise immission and noise annoyance are causally related. Noise level, habituation and railroad usage are determinant factors. Noise annoyance causes social and economic costs, such as property value depreciation. Policy measures, aimed at reducing social and economic costs, are incorporated in various stages of the causal model. These measures can be subdivided into noise regulation and direct prevention measures. Stricter threshold values lead to higher total costs, but may lower social costs per capita. Economic feasibility of policy measures is usually analyzed by means of a cost-benefit case study. A statistical comparative analysis on the economic valuation of railroad noise proved difficult due to the limited number of studies on this subject and the diverse methods used in these studies for economic valuation