NHSRC Putting Noise Barriers on Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor to Mitigate Noise

The noise barriers described are concrete panels that are two metres high from the rail level and one metre wide. According to NHSRC officials, these panels are being installed on either side of the viaduct. Their purpose is to reflect and distribute the aerodynamic sound generated by the train as well as the noise produced by the lower part of the train, primarily from the wheels running on the tracks. This installation aims to mitigate the noise impact on surrounding areas.

New Delhi: The National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) is putting noise barriers on either side of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor (MAHSR) viaduct to mitigate the noise, which will be generated by the train, NHSRC officials said. “Noise barriers are being erected on either side of the corridor viaduct to mitigate the noise, which will be generated by the train and the civil structure during operations,” an NHSRC spokesperson said.

Providing details of the noise barriers, NHSRC officials said that based on the Shinkansen technology, the noise barriers are concrete panels two metres high from the rail level and one metre wide. These panels are being erected on either side of the viaduct.

“These noise barriers will reflect and distribute the aerodynamic sound generated by the train and sound, which will be generated by the lower part of the train, primarily by the wheels running on the tracks,” the spokesperson further stated.

Taking to social media X, the Ministry of Railways wrote, "Paving the future, but quietly! On the elevated section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Corridor, noise barriers are being installed to mitigate noise, along with environmental impact, during train operations and augment connectivity."

This technology is designed in a way that will not create any hindrance to the view of the outside for the passengers during the train ride. “The viaduct passing through the residential and urban areas will have higher and taller noise barriers of three metres. In addition to the two-metre concrete panel, the additional one-metre noise barrier will be of ‘Polycarbonate’ and translucent,” the NHSRC official said.

However, the double-skin aluminium alloy body of the train will minimise the noise level inside the train, officials added. “The long and sharp nose of the high-speed train will reduce the aerodynamic drag, which also reduces the blasting sound, which is generated due to micro pressure waves created, while the high-speed train exits a tunnel. More than 465 km of the 508 km long MAHSR alignment is elevated (on the viaduct),” the NHSRC said.

According to the NHSRC, high-speed trains will operate at a speed of 320 kilometres/hour covering a distance of 508 km and 12 stations. There will be 35 trains per day/in one direction, with a frequency of 20 minutes in peak hours and 30 minutes in non-peak hours.