Noise-reducing devices for railway applications | Istituto Giordano
Andrea Cucchi
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Andrea Cucchi
Tel. 0541 322.329
E-mail a.cucchi@giordano.it

Noise-reducing devices for railway applications

Istituto Giordano is the first Italian organization to achieve ACCREDIA accreditation for conducting tests as outlined in the UNI EN 16272 standards, covering the laboratory acoustic characterization of noise insulation and absorption for noise-reducing devices used in railway applications.

In March 2013, the Istituto Giordano Acoustics and Vibrations Laboratory obtained accreditation from ACCREDIA, the National Accreditation Body. This accreditation officially certifies the laboratory's technical competence in performing tests described by the UNI EN 16272 standards, in compliance with the requirements of the international standard UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025, "General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories."

For more details on our railway sector activities, please see our dedicated page "Guided Transport Systems (STGV) and infrastructures."

The European Union has enacted two significant Community Directives, 2008/57/EC and 2009/131/EC, concerning the interoperability of the Community railway system. This term refers to the capacity of railway systems to enable the safe and seamless movement of trains across the network while ensuring the required performance levels for these lines. This capability is based on a set of regulatory, technical, and operational requirements that must be met to fulfill essential criteria.

Within the broader framework of railway interoperability, numerous harmonized standards have been published at the Community level to assess the conformity of railway devices. In particular, in the field of noise protection, passive systems for reducing noise emissions generated by passing trains—commonly known as noise barriers—play a crucial role.

EN 16272 Standards: What’s New?

At the end of 2023, the EN 16272 series of standards for characterizing the acoustic performance of noise barriers and related devices in railway applications was updated. These updates include:
  • EN 16272-1:2023 Railway applications - Infrastructure - Noise barriers and related devices acting on airborne sound propagation - Test method for determining the acoustic performance - Part 1: Intrinsic characteristics - Sound absorption under diffuse sound field conditions;

  • EN 16272-2:2023 Railway applications - Infrastructure - Noise barriers and related devices acting on airborne sound propagation - Test method for determining the acoustic performance - Part 2: Intrinsic characteristics - Airborne sound insulation under diffuse sound field conditions;

  • EN 16272-3-1:2023 Railway applications. Infrastructure. Noise barriers and related devices acting on airborne sound propagation. Test method for determining the acoustic performance. Normalized railway noise spectrum and single number ratings for diffuse sound field applications;

  • EN 16272-3-1-2:2023 Railway applications. Infrastructure. Noise barriers and related devices acting on airborne sound propagation. Test method for determining the acoustic performance-Normalized railway noise spectrum and single number ratings for direct sound field applications;

  • EN 16272-5:2023 Railway applications - Infrastructure - Noise barriers and related devices acting on airborne sound propagation - Test method for determining the acoustic performance - Part 5: Intrinsic characteristics - Sound absorption under direct sound field conditions;

  • EN 16272-6:2023 Railway applications – Infrastructure – Noise barriers and related devices acting on airborne sound propagation – Test method for determining the acoustic performance – Part 6: Intrinsic characteristics – Airborne sound insulation under direct sound field conditions.

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