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I love this. I read so much criticism here, but noise pollution is a main issue when it comes to railroads in residential zones. Yes, punctuality is an issue w

I love this. I read so much criticism here, but noise pollution is a main issue when it comes to railroads in residential zones. Yes, punctuality is an issue with Deutsche Bahn. No, this doesn’t fix that instantly. But as an organisation you can work on two things at the same time. This invention is spectacular. I wish more people would work on noise pollution. It makes a huge difference.

nonrandomstring 2y ago
> I wish more people would work on noise pollution Absolutely agree. It's one of the most insidious kinds of pollution that has big effects on mental and cardio-vascular health, and is accumulative. Everything from aircraft, to emergency vehicle sirens, to construction and poor housing, is slowly killing people. In Europe we've actually made big leaps forward with regulation, building standards for isolation, and abatement laws. But these often go unenforced or even flippantly dismissed and mocked because people don't recognise the harm pathways and effects. Whenever this topic comes up I am reminded of this (very funny) curmudgeon's screed "On Noise". Although Arthur Schopenhauer was "serious" about this, his acerbic style only gets more funny with time [0]. [0] https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10732/10732-h/10732-h.htm https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10732/10732-h/10732-h.htm
- throwy348734 2y ago
  Some progress in Europe yes but the harms are still far from getting enough attention and policy responses. One problem is that there's so little organized effort against noise pollution, there's need for a movement with grass root organizations that puts sustained pressure on this issue.
  - tichiian 2y ago
    Also, the noise pollution regulations that are in place exempt trains.
- pmayrgundter 2y ago
  It's all about whip cracking! Who knew that was such a thing. Like the mindless honking horn of the past. Thanks for sharing :)
- amadeuspagel 2y ago
  Contrast with John von Neumann, who "could not work without some noise or at least the possibility of noise. Some of his best work was done in crowded railroad stations and airports, trains, planes, ships, hotel lobbies, lively cocktail parties or even among a bunch of shrieking very minor minors whooping it up."
  - aloisdg 2y ago
    People can be different
  - nonrandomstring 2y ago
    A very good point. I find myself helped by having the radio (quietly) on for certain tasks. But for others, only silence will do. I'd love to see more modern and detailed cognitive studies of this sort of thing. Many years ago my audio/acoustics students did some bachelors final projects on "distraction" (focus, concentration and annoyance of noises) and that was interesting. Some people scored higher on SATS style tests while pumped up on drum'n'bass, others were totally destroyed by it, IIRC the most devastating soundtrack was random cartoon SFX :)
  - wodenokoto 2y ago
    I’m more impressed if his best sleep was done in noise areas.
  - sseagull 2y ago
    I think this is the classic introvert/extravert axis. Introverts are chronically overstimulated, and seek to reduce stimulation. Extraverts are under-stimulated, and therefore work better with even more stimulation.
  - wkat4242 2y ago
    Of course going from silence to noise is trivial in this day and age. Going from noisy to silence is still difficult even with the best ANC.
- cataphract 2y ago
  Unfortunately, where I live, more and more people have dogs. It's now a risky proposition to live in an apartment in a closed city block, because it's almost guaranteed that someone will leave a dog barking outside for hours.
- veunes 2y ago
  Persistent noise pollution increases stress levels..And I felt the impact of this myself when construction work started near my office. It’s very hard to concentrate.
lukan 2y ago
Noise reduction with trains is probably best done with improving the trains. I live next to a frequent trainline, so I can say: There are modern long electric passenger trains, that barely make a noise at all. And then there are old freight trains, that can be heard from miles away. Since I doubt this noise barrier will be placed everywhere except at some very special key areas, I rather want the Bahn to focus on better trains in general.
- Cthulhu_ 2y ago
  For intercity trains it doesn't matter what the propulsion method is though, since every train will make a lot of noise at speed. It's improved with aerodynamics and better wheel / tracks, but ultimately noise will be an issue. Consider also cars where at speed the noise is not due to the engine, but to wheel / road noise.
  - lukan 2y ago
    I live outside the city, so I know the difference in sound at high speed when they pass by. It makes a great difference. Combustion vs electric but also the manufacturing and damping of the wheels etc. Steelwheel on steel can be very silent.
    - versteegen 2y ago
      Yes, there are many components to train noise. I used to live by rails with a small incline, and the diesel locomotives made a loud low noise accelerating uphill from a station, while downhill the trains moved far faster and the engines were quite insignificant compared to noises due to speed: mainly the wheel noise and going over the expansion joints.
    - patates 2y ago
      huh. rubber on asphalt is very loud on high speeds, could steel on steel really be quieter? (for downvoters: this is a real question, I'm not trying to suggest it can't be)
veunes 2y ago
Noise pollution is an issue that often doesn't receive the attention it deserves!

nonrandomstring 2y ago

> I wish more people would work on noise pollution Absolutely agree. It's one of the most insidious kinds of pollution that has big effects on mental and cardio-vascular health, and is accumulative. Everything from aircraft, to emergency vehicle sirens, to construction and poor housing, is slowly killing people. In Europe we've actually made big leaps forward with regulation, building standards for isolation, and abatement laws. But these often go unenforced or even flippantly dismissed and mocked because people don't recognise the harm pathways and effects. Whenever this topic comes up I am reminded of this (very funny) curmudgeon's screed "On Noise". Although Arthur Schopenhauer was "serious" about this, his acerbic style only gets more funny with time [0]. [0] https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10732/10732-h/10732-h.htm https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10732/10732-h/10732-h.htm

throwy348734 2y ago
Some progress in Europe yes but the harms are still far from getting enough attention and policy responses. One problem is that there's so little organized effort against noise pollution, there's need for a movement with grass root organizations that puts sustained pressure on this issue.
- tichiian 2y ago
  Also, the noise pollution regulations that are in place exempt trains.
pmayrgundter 2y ago
It's all about whip cracking! Who knew that was such a thing. Like the mindless honking horn of the past. Thanks for sharing :)
amadeuspagel 2y ago
Contrast with John von Neumann, who "could not work without some noise or at least the possibility of noise. Some of his best work was done in crowded railroad stations and airports, trains, planes, ships, hotel lobbies, lively cocktail parties or even among a bunch of shrieking very minor minors whooping it up."
- aloisdg 2y ago
  People can be different
- nonrandomstring 2y ago
  A very good point. I find myself helped by having the radio (quietly) on for certain tasks. But for others, only silence will do. I'd love to see more modern and detailed cognitive studies of this sort of thing. Many years ago my audio/acoustics students did some bachelors final projects on "distraction" (focus, concentration and annoyance of noises) and that was interesting. Some people scored higher on SATS style tests while pumped up on drum'n'bass, others were totally destroyed by it, IIRC the most devastating soundtrack was random cartoon SFX :)
- wodenokoto 2y ago
  I’m more impressed if his best sleep was done in noise areas.
- sseagull 2y ago
  I think this is the classic introvert/extravert axis. Introverts are chronically overstimulated, and seek to reduce stimulation. Extraverts are under-stimulated, and therefore work better with even more stimulation.
- wkat4242 2y ago
  Of course going from silence to noise is trivial in this day and age. Going from noisy to silence is still difficult even with the best ANC.
cataphract 2y ago
Unfortunately, where I live, more and more people have dogs. It's now a risky proposition to live in an apartment in a closed city block, because it's almost guaranteed that someone will leave a dog barking outside for hours.
veunes 2y ago
Persistent noise pollution increases stress levels..And I felt the impact of this myself when construction work started near my office. It’s very hard to concentrate.

lukan 2y ago

Noise reduction with trains is probably best done with improving the trains. I live next to a frequent trainline, so I can say: There are modern long electric passenger trains, that barely make a noise at all. And then there are old freight trains, that can be heard from miles away. Since I doubt this noise barrier will be placed everywhere except at some very special key areas, I rather want the Bahn to focus on better trains in general.

Cthulhu_ 2y ago
For intercity trains it doesn't matter what the propulsion method is though, since every train will make a lot of noise at speed. It's improved with aerodynamics and better wheel / tracks, but ultimately noise will be an issue. Consider also cars where at speed the noise is not due to the engine, but to wheel / road noise.
- lukan 2y ago
  I live outside the city, so I know the difference in sound at high speed when they pass by. It makes a great difference. Combustion vs electric but also the manufacturing and damping of the wheels etc. Steelwheel on steel can be very silent.
  - versteegen 2y ago
    Yes, there are many components to train noise. I used to live by rails with a small incline, and the diesel locomotives made a loud low noise accelerating uphill from a station, while downhill the trains moved far faster and the engines were quite insignificant compared to noises due to speed: mainly the wheel noise and going over the expansion joints.
  - patates 2y ago
    huh. rubber on asphalt is very loud on high speeds, could steel on steel really be quieter? (for downvoters: this is a real question, I'm not trying to suggest it can't be)

veunes 2y ago

Noise pollution is an issue that often doesn't receive the attention it deserves!