Environmental integration of measures to reduce railway noise in the Brussels Capital Region

The Brussels Capital Region is a densely populated area with a surface area of 63 square miles and a total of 40 miles of railway lines. Earlier studies have already registered a large number of problems regarding railway noise. Moreover, the transport policy of the federal government aims to increase train travel and plans an expansion of the railway network. In order to be able to control railway noise, the Brussels authority needs an instrument that provides technical and practical information concerning:

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minimizing the noise produced by railways (both existing and new);

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the environmental integration of noise abatement measures.

This paper discusses the objectives of the study, the methodology that was applied, and the main conclusions reached.