Wayside noise measurements of diesel multiple unit rail vehicles in revenue service

Wayside noise measurements of revenue service operations of Stadler FLIRT3 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) rail vehicles were carried out on the Trinity Metro TEXRail commuter rail system at locations between DFW International Airport and downtown Fort Worth, TX. The objective of the measurements was to compare measured vehicle noise levels with the noise prediction model used for the TEXRail Extension Environmental Assessment (EA). This model is based on adjustments to the results of controlled wayside noise tests previously conducted for similar Stadler diesel-electric GTW 2/6 articulated DMU rail vehicles on the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) A-Train system in Lewisville, TX. The measurement results suggest that the FLIRT3 noise model provides a conservative estimate of noise exposure from train operations and is appropriate to use for assessing the noise impact of the TEXRail Extension.