FAA Noise Hearing
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• TECHNICAL REPORTDATA {Pleaereadln_ec Ionxon the rcrcrtcbelbre ¢omp et ng) ,i l: REPORT NO, 2. , 3. REC)PJEN'r's ACCESSlQI_NO • 14'"r_Tl'E_ N_ sU'°TITLa • t_.REPORTDATE • i_ L , " -Background,D0numont fop Railroad Noise . ', December 1975 - " :[ ! - ,, . B PERFORMING OROANIZAT Ot'l COCE - - i. Emission :Standards, - . ' ' "" ' • ' • " , EPAj ONAC: " ,_: ": r AUTHO_ 5 r. .... _ PERPORM NG ORQAN ZAT ON REPORT NC , _. ! 9, PEAFOR&_INGORCIAN[ZATIONNAMEANDAODHEI]S 10 ERrJORAM_LEMENTNO" • .:, :- '" ,' it Of_ice':o_-: Noise Abatemeht and Control , - r. " : ' ." ['; Rnviponmenca ! Protection Agency" . r_ CONTRA_T/GRANrTN0ii " , ' " ',:-'.'" ;"_anhin_,toniDi''C'0,:204'60 • • " " ' . ,'"" • .:, 12s,,oNso._AGeNCy_AMEAN.Aoo,.= ' I3TV_Eo_REPO.ANT .pE.oD¢OVE.EC ' I_ff'_ "',::.'.:, .:;, _ ' -, . ,.X, '- : , .' . ..... 14._PONSORINOAOENCY CODE , , :L ,,, _ ,, , , - Ia.AUUTH_T.-_;:..:,.;:... -.:-.,,';,.. ,,,' ,, ........ , ..... ,............ .;,<_,.,,-.;_hls documen_ con_alns the technical, .econo_e,. health and.,.-..,. - _:,_::wol_ape:.analyse_ and,othex, pertinent:data and,_nformatlon" utilized_ "- "L:,\;.by, th_ Envivonmcn_al .Protection,:A_oney in _the: deve!opment, o_-'th ,_ ' ;:= .-;:, _inal Intav_tate..Rall Carrie -Noise Emlasion. Re lation...%,-:.-_ _ ', ,_ m ,,, , , .... --- ., • ,, , .... = _._Roloa'=o_>14nl;L_J._odJ;)_-_,_,:..,-_k=_:'c.._o==¢umTv=_¢'r_,..,_._,,_-.,_:_.e,,_=,,.,.,',.. -_ R 3 EPA 550/9.?_005 BACKGROUND DOCUMENT FOR RAILROAD NOISE EMISSIONS STANDARDS DECEMBER197S /t U.S, EnvironmentalProtectionAsency , Officeof NolaeAbatementand Control i Wa_hlnston,D.C. 20460 ! T_ a_un_mt tun lacm _pn_n_ for lit_ i gylllll_ Ity, I I d9¢1, riot O_llllttte • 111/9_, ' eplsifhzltlOn or rt_lillon, PREFACE On December 31, 1975, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a regulation governing noise emissions from interstate rail carriers. That regulation was issued under Section 17 of the Noise Control Act of 1972, This document presents and discusses the background data used by the Agency in setting the standards contained in the regulation. Presented here is a comprehensive exposition on the most up-to-date available information on the environmental, technological, and economic aspects of railroad noise. TABLEOFCONTENTS Section Page 1 PROLOGUE 1-I STATUTORY BASIS FOR ACTION 1-1 INTERNAL EPA PROCEDURE 1-3 PREEMIrl'ION 1-4 Noise Emission Standards on Railroad Equipment 1-4 Noise Emission Standards on Railroad Facilities 1-5 Designor EquipmentStandards 1-5 Use, Operation, or Movement Controls 1-6 Receiving Land Use Standards 1-6 2 SUMMARY OF WHAT THE REGULATION REQUIRES 2-1 APPLICATION OF BEST AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE COST OF COMPLIANCE 2-1 LEVELS OF TRAIN NOISE CONTROL 2-2 Locomotive Noise-Vehicle at .Rest 2-2 Locomotive Noise-Vehicle in Motion 2-3 Railear Noise-Vehicles in Motion on Line 2-3 Railcar Noise-Vehicles in Motion in Yards 2-3 REVISION OF THE PROPOSED REGULATION PRIOR TO PROMULGATION 2-4 NOISE EMISSION STANDARDS INTERSTATE RAIL CARRIER NOISE REGULATION 2-6 3 DATA BASE FOR THE REGULATION 3-1 4 THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY 4-1 ECONOMIC STATUS 4-1 EMPLOYMENT 4-3 HEALTH AND GROWTH OF THE INDUSTRY 4.5 Health of the Industry 4.5 Growth of the Industry 4-7 5 RAILROAD NOISE SOURCES 5-1 OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM 5-1 CONSIDERATION OF RAILROAD NOISE SOURCES FOR FEDERAL REGULATIONS 5-2 Office Buildings 5-2 Repair and Maintenance Shops 5-3 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd) Section Page 5 Terminals, Marshalling Yards, Humping Yards, and Specifically Railroad Retarders 5-3 Horns, Whistles, Bells, and Other Warning Devices 5-5 Special Purpose Equipment 5-6 Track and Right-of-Way Design 5-7 Trains 5.9 CHARACTER OF RAILROAD NOISE SOURCES AND ABATEMENT TECHNOLOGY 5-9 Locomotives 5-9 Diesel-ElectricLocomotives 5-9 LocomotiveatRest 5-11 Locomotive in Motion 5-I 1 Locomotive Noise Abatement 5-21 Abatement By Equipment Modifications 5-21 Noise Abatement By Operational Procedures 5-26 Electric/Gas Turbine Locomotives 5-27 Wheel/Rail Noise 5-27 Wheel/Rail Noise Abatement 5-29 RetarderNoise 5-33 Retarder Noise Abatement 5-34 Benefits 5-34 Costs 5-35 Car-Car Impact Noise 6.36 Warning Devices 5-36 Public Address Systems 5-39 Maintenance and Repair Shops 5-39 Refrigerator Cars 5-39 Auxiliary Diesel Engines 5-39 6 GENERAL PROCEDURE TO MEASURE RAILROAD NOISE 6.1 INTRODUCTION 6.1 SUBPART C-MEASUREMENT CRITERIA 6.2 201_20 Applicability and Purpose 6-2 201,21 QuantRies Measured 6-2 201.22 Measurement Instrumentation 6.2 201.23 Acoustical Environment, Weather Conditions and BackgroundNoise 6-3 201.24 Proceduresfor theMeasurementof Locomotiveand Rail Car Noise 6.5 " _' iv D rl 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cant'd) Section Page 7 ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF A RETROFIT PROGRAM 7-1 INITIAL ECONOMIC ANALYSIS 7-2 The Impact on the Railroad Industry 7-2 General Impact 7-2 The Impact on Marginal Railroads 7-I5 TireImpacton BankruptRailroads 7-18 The Impact on Users of Rail Transportation 7-18 TheEffect on RailwayFreightRates 7-18 The Effect on Quality of Service 7-24 Summary and Conclusions Concerning Initial Economic Analysis 7-25 Impacton theRailroadIndustry 7-25 Impact on Users of Rail Services 7-26 SUBSEQUENT ECONOMIC COST AND IMPACT ANALYSES 7-26 The Cost of Retrofitting Mufflers on Locomotives 7-26 Initial Direct Costs 7-27 Initial Indirect Costs 7-33 Continuing Costs 7-37 Summary of Locomotive Retrofit Costs 7-38 Economic Impact of Muffler Retrofit 7-38 Labor Supply 7-40 Impact on Railroad Revenue and Profits 7-44 Financial Impact 7-45 Freight Diversion as a Result of Differential Impacts of Fuel Costs 7-47 Impacts on Consumers 7-52 8 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF THE FINAL REGULATION 8-I INITIAL ANALYSIS OF IMPACT RELATED TO ACOUSTICAL ENVIRONMENT 8-1 Case Studies of Railroad Lines 8-1 Analysis of Train Noise Impact 8-1 REFINEMENTS ON INITIAL ANALYSIS OF IMPACT RELATED TO ACOUSTICAL ENVIRONMENT 8-11 Miles of Railroad Track 8-1 l Population Densities 8-12 Traffic Volume in Urban Areas 8-12 People Exposed 8-15 V TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd) Section Page 8 Impact Related to Land 8-19 Impact Related to Water 8-19 Impact Related to Air 8-19 DAY NIGHT EQUIVALENT NOISE LEVEL (Ldn) 8-21 EXCESS ATTENUATION OF RAILROAD NOISE 8-21 9 ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE FINAL REGULATION 9-1 EQUIVALENT ANNUAL INCREASED LOCOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING COSTS AqTRIBUTABLE TO MUFFLER INTRODUCTION 9-1 EQUIVALENT ANNUAL INCREASED FUEL COSTS ATTRIBUTABLE TO MUFFLER INTRODUCTION ON NEWLY MANUFACTURED LOCOMOTIVES (OVER AN ESTIMATED 25-YEAR FLEET REPLACEMENT PERIOD) 9-2 MUFFLER REPLACEMENT COSTS 9-2 SUMMATION OF THE MAJOR COSTS INCURRED THROUGH THE ADDITION OF MUFFLERS TO NEWLY MANUFACTURED LOCOMOTIVES 9-3 Appendix A MAJOR TYPES OF DIESEL-ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES IN CURRENT U.S. SERVICE (I JANUARY 1973) A-I Appendix B REVIEW OF TIIE AUDIBLE TRAIN.MOUNTED WARNING DEVICES I AT PROTECTED RAILROAD HIGItWAY CROSSINGS B-I i Appendix C OPEUNITERATIDNG STRAIATESLROAD RETARDER YARDS IN THE C-I AppendixD SUMMARY OF YARD NOISE IMPACT STUDY D-I AppendixE GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION LOCOMOTIVE EXHAUST MUFFLER RETROFIT COST STUDY REPORTS E-I AppendixF GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY PROPOSED RAILROAD NOISE EMISSION STANDARDS F-I Appendix G MUFFLER DESIGN FOR LOCOMOTIVES G-I Appendix H DETAILED MUFFLER DESIGNS AND PERFORMANCE ESTIMATES H-I vi TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd) Section Appendix I SPACE AVAILABILITY FOR MUFFLERS INSIDE LOCOMOTIVES A-I Appendix J LOCOMOTIVE NOISE MEASUREMENTS TAKEN IN CONJUNCTION WITH HARCO MANUFACTURING COMPANY AND ADDITIONAL MEASUREMENTS A-J Appendix K EXHAUST NOISE MEASUREMENTS FOR TIlE GP-9 LOCOMOTIVE A-K Appendix L TRIP TO MONTREAL LOCOMOTIVE WORKS AND MEASUREMENTS OF M-420 LOCOMOTIVE A-L Appendix M THE USE OF MUFFLERS ON LARGE DIESEL ENGINES IN NONRAILROAD APPLICATIONS: RESULTS OF A BBN SURVEY A-M Appendix N AMTRAK EXPERIENCE WITH MUFFLED LOCOMOTIVES A-N Appendix O REFRIGERATOR CARS A-O Appendix P APPLICABILITY OF TRACK AND SAFETY STANDARDS TO NOISE A-P Appendix Q RAIL CAR NOISE LEVEL DATA A-Q Appendix R ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY PROPOSED RAILROAD NOISE EMISSION STANDARDS A-R vii 2 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 5-1 Effect of Fan Noise on the A-Welghted Spectrum of EMD GP4fl-2 Locomotive Noise at 55 ft (Engine Access Doors Open) 5-16 5-2 Diesel-Electric Locomotive Passbys 5-17 5-3 Peak Locomotive Noise Levelvs, Speed 5-19 5-4 Relationship Between Maximum Noise Level and Number of Coupled Locomotives 5-20 5-5 Wheel/Rail Noise Measured on Level Ground and on a 1% Grade 5-30 5-6 Measured Wheel/Rail Noise 5-30 5-7 Average, and Minimum Rail-Wheel Sound Level vs, Speed for Typical Railroad Cars on Welded and Bolted Rail 5-31 5-8 Retarder Squeal Amplitude Distribution 5-33 5-9 Car-Car Impact Noise Time tlistories 5-37 6-1 Test Site Clearanee Requirement for Locomotive Stationary, Locomotive Pass-by, and Rail Car Pass-by. Tests 6-.4 7-1 COSt of Retrofit Program'as a Function of Compliance Period 7-14 7-2 Distribution of Railroads by Retrofit Cost as a Percent of Net Operating Revenue for 2- and 5-year Compliance Periods 7-16 7-3 Patterns in Maintenance of Railroad Equipment and Stores 7-41 7-4 Effect of Fuel Prices on Distribution of Freight 7-51 8-1 Ldn vs Distance From the Track for the Dorchester Branch of Penn Central 8-5 8-2 Ldn vs Distance From Track for National Average Train Traffic 8-6 8-3 Distance From Track at Which Various Ldn Occurs Around the Dorchester Branch of the Penn Central 8-7 8-4 Thousands of People Exposed to Various Ldn by 7.2 Miles of Track on the Dorchester Branch of the Penn Central 8-8 8-5 Distance From Track at Which Various Ldn Occur Due to National AverageTrainTraffic 8-9 8-6 Millions of People Expose d to Various Ldn by National Average Train Truffle 8-I0 8.7 Influence of Frequeney-Dependent Attenuations of Locomotive Noise Spectrum 8-22 8-8 Influence of Frequency-Dependent Attenuations of Wheel/Rail Noise, Train No.