Legal and economic instruments for activating the noise reduction potential of railway vehicles

The impact of noise on the population is one of the major environmental pro blems faced by the European railways. Technical solutions are now available which allow the noise problem largely to be solved at an acceptable cost. However? the European railway companies rarely use these solutions. For the rapid introduction of low-noise railbound vehicles, legal and economic ins truments must therefore be used. The most effective instrument among them i s the enforcement of ambitious European noise emission limits for railway v ehicles. These noise regulations have to be complemented by economic instru ments such as emission-related track charges. (C) 2000 Academic Press.