Residents in legal bid to stop ‘noisy’ night trains

Published on 07/09/2012 04:39

RESIDENTS living next to a recently re-opened rail line are taking legal action to try to stop late-night trains disturbing their sleep.

People living along the route of the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway, which was re-opened in 2008 after 40 years, claim their lives are being blighted by freight trains travelling to the Longannet power station during the night.

They have formed the Noise Vibration Action Group and are expected to lodge a series of individual claims for both mitigation and compensation, claiming the late-night trains breach EU directives on environmental standards and even their human rights.

The group claims that the Scottish Government and various regulatory bodies have failed to look into the issue, despite assurances that they would.

Archie McIver, the group’s chairman, said: “The noise and vibration levels approved by Transport Scotland and allowed by Network Rail show a complete lack of corporate responsibility from both organisations.

“The levels on this four-year-old line far exceed any modern health-based standards and bear no relationship to the standards presented in the public consultation or to the Scottish Parliament in order to win approval for the bill.”

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “The environmental impact of any transport project is always an important consideration and concerns raised about noise levels around the service have been taken seriously, with Clackmannanshire Council, Transport Scotland and Network Rail working together to provide acoustic barriers at all properties that met the mitigation criteria. As a result, a number of residents have reported a marked improvement in noise levels.

“To ensure the matter has been fully resolved, Transport Scotland and Clackmannanshire Council have undertaken additional noise monitoring to confirm the effectiveness of the mitigation measures provided.”