Waverton, Wollstonecraft railway noise: New plan to fix track

If you’ve travelled the north shore line you’ll know all too well the ear-piercing noise of a particular section of track. Well, after decades of campaigning the issue is finally coming to a head.

UPDATE

A five-figure fine has been issued to Sydney Trains as the sound of squealing track noise on a tight curve in the city’s rail network continues to send local residents around the bend.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority handed Sydney Trains a $15,000 penalty notice after an investigation into a stretch of rail line at Waverton and Wollstonecraft stations identified rail corrugations and roughness on the tracks was causing excessive noise in the neighbourhood.

The EPA’s director of regulatory operations David Gathercole said train noise had been a “prolonged issue” for residents living along the tracks with campaigns to have the issue resolved dating as far back as the 1990s.

The two stations sit on curves as tight as 200 degrees, resulting in the sound of ‘screeching’ or ‘squealing’ emanating into surrounding streets and homes as trains manoeuvre the tracks.

The EPA said the $15,000 penalty for not managing the noise issues was the largest the agency could issue under current legislation.

“The ineffective maintenance of this part of the rail line has been a constant failure that has led to excessive noise for this community,” Mr Gathercole said.

A photo of residents all the way back in 2007 including Mimi Neave (r) who continues to call for a solution. .

“Lack of maintenance has resulted in rail corrugations and roughness, which are the primary cause of the noise.”

Sydney Trains said it was committed to working with the EPA about the "ongoing issue of rail noise".

"Re-railing of this section was undertaken in early November 2021, and rail milling and grinding to completely remove corrugations and re-profile rail in the area will be completed by December 2021," a spokeswoman said.

"This area of the metropolitan rail network is unique and challenging in that it has tight curves, high rail traffic rate, with residents living in close proximity to the rail line."Sydney Trains appreciates that rail noise can be very frustrating for residents and is committed to continued mitigation works in the area."

Local resident Brian McGlynn, who has conducted his own train counts and modelling, said noise has become “progressively worse” in recent years with up to 450 trains now passing his Wollstonecraft home each day.

“In the last eight years I’ve lived here the noise from the trains has doubled,” he said.

“It’s just constant, I work from home and it’s like having a vacuum cleaner running all day.”

Pressure to have the issue resolved has also come from North Sydney Council with mayor Jilly Gibson writing to the EPA last month calling for mitigation measures to be stepped up.

“Residents have been exposed to unacceptable rail noise for more than two decades and with changing demographics, increasing population density along the rail corridor and many working from home or homeschooling due to Covid lockdowns, the impact of ‘wheel squeal’ 21 hour a day in unconscionable,” Ms Gibson said in the letter.

“Sleep deprivation is a major issue.”

North Sydney Council has called for Sydney Trains to consider the ELPA Slovenian Lubrication System on the rail tracks which is used as a noise mitigation measure in 25 countries.

Sydney Trains said it has reviewed the proposal from Slovenian company ELPA and found insufficient evidence to suggest it would lead to a decrease in noise levels when compared to recently upgraded latest generation lubrication management systems installed in the area. 

North Sydney State MP Felicity Wilson said the fine "vindicates the concerns of the community and their efforts to reduce the noise.”

“While Sydney Trains have undertaken detailed studies and implemented a range of measures to address this unique and challenging section of rail, they now have an opportunity to redouble their efforts and take all possible actions to reduce the noise impacts," she said.

EARLIER 

BY DAVID BARWELL ON SEPTEMBER 15

Being the squeaky wheel may have finally paid off for residents on the lower north shore with plans underway to fix nightmare train noise on the sharpest bend in Sydney’s rail network.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority has confirmed an independent train noise specialist has been hired to investigate the sound of screeching and squealing trains passing between Waverton and Wollstonecraft Stations.

The stretch of track is the tightest curve on Sydney’s rail network, bending on a sharp 200-metre curve, causing noise levels reaching up to 80 decibels – on par with the sound of A food blender or garbage disposal.

Wollstonecraft resident Brian McGlynn said the wheel noise has left many locals living along the rail corridor at their wits’ end.

“It’s hard to describe it for people who don’t know the area but put it this way – If I leave the doors open when I’m watching the TV I can’t hear it or when I'm having a conversation I have to stop,” he said.

“Some of the trains bump, others have screeching sounds – it’s not only noisy and distracting but it really puts your nerves on edge

“We’ve had people move out of the area – they couldn’t stand it and sold up to buy a place away from the train line.

“There’s about 420 train movements on the line each day and it’s 22 hours of noise each day.”

Waverton Station.

The EPA said the independent train noise specialist was hired earlier this year to “definitively address this issue” and provide “a critical review of rail noise mitigation works conducted by Sydney Trains to date”.

It comes after the agency previously required Sydney Trains to undertake ‘pollution reduction programs’ to identify possible mitigation methods.

“Some of those programs included trialling improved lubrication, a friction modifier, and assessing the effectiveness of rail dampers,” a spokesman said in a statement.

“These have not resulted in clear conclusions or solutions.

“The EPA commissioned an independent review in March 2021 and it has asked Sydney Trains to provide a response this month.

“The EPA will consider the findings of the independent review, and Sydney Trains response, to determine our next steps and inform the community.”

Mimi Neave, whose home backs onto Waverton Station, said many locals were fed up with the amount of time it’s taken to have the issue addressed.

There have been long-running campaigns to fix the problem.

Campaigns date back as far as 1990 and over the years led to the formation of the Waverton Wollstonecraft Rail Noise Action Group which continues to lobby for change.

“The tracks are less than 10m from my back fence and it’s terrible – Some trains are worse than others and when the wheel squeal is bad it’s horrendous. You can’t hear yourself think,” she said.

“So many times we’ve been promised the noise would be fixed, we’ve had transport ministers visit, but nothing’s been done.

“We shouldn’t have to put up with it.”

The bend in the tracks is the sharpest on Sydney’s rail network.

Residents have suggested potential solutions could include further investigations into train track lubrication, similar to Europe methods used on Switzerland’s equally bendy train network through tricky terrain.

Sydney Trains said it was currently reviewing findings from a recently commissioned ‘wheel rail interface study’ to determine how to implement the recommendations.

“(The study was commissioned) to further understand the link in the area between rail acoustics, track engineering and wheel-on-rail dynamics to better determine additional preventive and mitigation options,” a spokesman said.

“Possible mitigation measures could include further expansion of top of rail friction modification usage in the area, some minor adjustments to track geometries as well as optimisation of the rail grinding and profiling methodologies for this area.

“To date, we have improved track lubrication in the area, installed top of rail friction modification units, trialled rail dampers and soft rail pads with the aim of controlling the various noise sources in the area.”

The issue is expected to become an election talking point with North Sydney Mayor Jilly Gibson including the track noise as one of her six key campaign platforms at the upcoming council elections.