Developing noise maps to monitor railway train noise at four different Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) Stations

Abstract

Due to the rapid increase in the growth of public transportation especially railway train, the responsibility to maintain the noise level within the acceptable range at the stations is crucial. Policies on noise control have been developed in most part of the world. Passengers ride the train daily and they are continuously being exposed to high level of noise. A powerful tool with the ability to measure ambient noise level and represent it on a map shall help acoustical engineers and safety officers to identify noise sources, and how it spreads, thus, enabling them to make decisions relating to noise control and management. Maps were drawn to show spatial distributions of noise and source classification. This project focuses on the noise issue at various KTM stations by collecting noise level data using a sound level meter (SLM) and producing noise maps by means of Sketchup Pro software to represent the noise band. The noise level gradually reduces as we go further away from the source. The Leq of the four stations are between 60-70 dB, which are assessed as acceptable. The noise level data are then used to develop noise maps for the four KTM stations. © Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia.