Reducing noise pollution of urban areas: new advances for railway vehicles

In the framework of the Shift2Rail initiative, Alstom has worked on the development of advanced prediction methodologies for the noise emissions of traction chain elements of rolling stock vehicles. The two main noise generation mechanisms treated here are aeroacoustic noise due to cooling fans and noise of electromagnetic origin; the main source of interest is the traction motor but other sources can be treated with the methodologies here developed. This paper presents the current status of these investigations, the expected noise reduction and the impact this could have at train level. The special case of urban vehicles is discussed more in detail as these improvements are of particular relevance for urban areas and their citizens