Experimental investigation of noise annoyance caused by high-speed trains

A field experiment was conducted, to investigate the possible differences in perceived annoyance of noise caused by the traffic on a highway, by conventional trains and by high-speed trains, both conventional and magnetic levitation. The design of the experiment was different from earlier research in many ways. Most importantly, it was conducted in a realistic setting, a holiday cottage, and during the tests the participants were engaged in light daily activities. Traffic noise was reproduced in an ecologically valid way through loudspeakers placed outdoors. A stepwise selection of panelists was based on a screening questionnaire that was administered at the doorstep of 1500 persons living in the test site surroundings. The 100 panelists were selected to be representative of the Dutch population. The L-Aeq-annoyance relationships determined for the conventional high-speed train and for the magnetic levitation high-speed train did not differ significantly. The annoyance differences observed could be explained in terms of train noise differences in rise time and in propagation effects due to the distance between the track and the listening (recording) position.