The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) is going to conduct research together with local residents of America into the nuisance caused by passing trains and how this affects the health of local residents.
After Schiphol Airport, this is the second place in the Netherlands where RIVM, together with local residents, forms a large research team, as it were.
sound meters
Nineteen sound meters are hung on the facades of houses in the Horster village along the Rotterdam-Venlo railway line. These meters remain in place for a year in order to record the noise of the trains. The measurement results can be viewed online for everyone. Conversations with local residents and a diary search should provide even better insight into the nuisance experienced and any health problems.
Also read: RIVM and residents of America are investigating rail nuisance
Researcher of the RIVM Wiki Dijkstra hopes to generate new knowledge with this method. “In this way, residents can show what the problem is for them. Everyone understands that there is nuisance and that complaints are made to the municipality. But we really want to show that breadth,” says Dijkstra.
Railway
The railway, which runs right through America, has been there since 1866. Nevertheless, according to local residents, the nuisance has worsened considerably in the last four years, especially due to freight transport. Not only has it become busier, older trains in particular cause hard knocks that startle residents.
In January 2022, after years of consultation, the church finally decided: it was decided to install 1-meter high noise barriers along the rails. ProRail’s previously presented plan with shields of 3 meters met with resistance because residents were afraid that closed screens would divide the village in two.
Also read: Noise barriers should reduce rail nuisance America
health problems
Noise has an influence on the living and living environment of people. Hearing too much noise can not only be unpleasant, it can also be harmful to your health. For example, some people do not sleep well because of noise pollution or they develop high blood pressure, which increases the risk of a heart attack.
According to Hay Mulders of the Spoor America working group, the village is concerned about the health and well-being of the people. He is therefore very happy with the research: “The noise measurements that have been made so far have been taken from behind a desk. So not here on site.” Mulders believes that the on-site investigation provides a better picture of the nuisance peaks.
Solutions
However, it remains to be seen whether the research, which will take at least a year, will result in solutions to tackle the nuisance. Alderman Eric Beurskens van Horst aan de Maas indicates that as a municipality they cannot do anything with the investigation. According to Beurskens, this does not mean that, for example, ProRail is legally obliged to make changes.
“But it does provide insight into how this damage to health can arise and we hope that this will at least give rise to a discussion at national level,” the alderman said.
Some residents believe they have a solution if the results of the survey indicate that the nuisance is too great: better train stock. For example, a kind of train set MOT would be one of the possibilities. Speed could also be reduced and trains could be loaded less heavily.