Summary: WWRNAG / Sydney Trains / EPA Information Session

Attendees: Louise Law (facilitator, TfNSW Environment & Sustainability), Radek (noise specialist, ran most of the presentation), Luke, Dipendra (Sydney Trains Asset Management), Mandy, Shireen (Community/Stakeholder Engagement), David Gallichal and Danielle Playford (EPA, online); Brian, Catherine Burrows, and Robert representing WWRNAG.

1. Low-height noise barrier feasibility study

• EPA required Sydney Trains to commission an independent feasibility study (GHD, 2025–2026) into low-height (up to 1.5m) noise barriers close to the wheel-rail interface.
• Two barrier layouts were assessed (gaps every 50–100m vs. every 20m for "safe places"); the multi-gap option and 1.5m height performed best. Precast concrete panels were chosen over proprietary products on cost grounds, despite similar noise performance.
• Findings: of 949 receivers modelled, 720 (76%) got at least the minimum 2dB benefit, but only 48% reached the "reasonable" 5dB threshold, and none reached 10dB.
• Major operational/maintenance downsides identified: loss of safe track access along the corridor, higher work-protection costs, redesigned inspection/survey methods, longer response times to incidents (broken rails, signal failures), and barrier removal needed for major works.
• Estimated lifecycle cost: ~$7.8M upfront, $68–88M over 50 years, ~$0.5M demolition — total $77–96M.
• Conclusion presented: technically feasible but not "reasonable" — cost and operational impact too high relative to the limited noise benefit — so Sydney Trains does not intend to progress it.
• WWRNAG pushback: Brian, Catherine and Robert challenged several aspects — why lighter/movable barrier alternatives (which they understand exist and are used elsewhere) were dismissed early; whether the $77–96M is actually material against a $2.1B annual maintenance budget; whether the model was calibrated against the group's own 800+ days of on-site noise measurements; and criticised that "stakeholders" consulted for the study excluded the residents' group entirely. They requested a copy of the full GHD report and the model's predicted noise levels at their specific monitoring locations, to compare against their own data.

2. ELPA lubrication trial (Wollstonecraft curve)

• Trial of the ELPA lubrication product (against current LB Foster gauge-face/top-of-rail system) to reduce curve noise (wheel squeal/flanging), run by Melville Equipment Corp with Acoustic Studio doing measurements, under Sydney Trains supervision.
• Site: down track only, Waverton Tunnel to Wollstonecraft/Bridgend; up track stays on existing LB Foster system for comparison (despite a resident's measurements showing the up track is 5–10dB noisier).
• Timeline: rail grinding end of August, baseline measurement ~1 month, then ELPA installation and ~4 months of data collection, acoustic scope completing end of January 2027.
• Success criteria: 50% reduction in flanging/squeal incidents, 3dB reduction in average and maximum pass-by noise (ELPA reportedly claims up to 15dB is achievable elsewhere, e.g. Barcelona/Vienna examples cited).
• If successful, planned rollout is the whole Waverton–St Leonards section, subject to internal environmental/project approvals.
• WWRNAG raised: no defined overall target noise level/decibel goal exists; concern about the shrinking overnight curfew (talk of 24/7 running); frustration that noise guideline targets have worsened over time (60dB in 1997 → 65dB in 2012, effectively withdrawn in 2022).

3. Track maintenance updates

• North Shore up grinding done; North Shore down grinding scheduled 31 Aug–4 Sept; rewelding/re-railing works 23–24 January (Waverton/Wollstonecraft sections).
• New, more advanced rail grinding train being commissioned early next year — gives real-time grind quality data and finer control (not the previously discussed "milling," which remains limited to bridge sections like the Harbour Bridge).
• Monash University engaged to trial different rail profiles (separate from wheel profiles, which Sydney Trains says are already fairly current on newer rolling stock).
• Brian raised that rolling-stock noise specifications used to include a maximum decibel limit for curves, but this was dropped after the Millennium Train, and current trains have no external noise monitoring — he suggested this should be revisited.

4. Communication and future meetings — agreed outcomes

• It had been ~3 years since the last such meeting, which the group found unacceptable.
• Agreed: a full/detailed update meeting in ~12 months, plus an interim written update around March 2027 (once ELPA trial results are analysed) rather than another long gap.
• Sydney Trains/EPA to provide a schedule of the next 6–8 months' key milestones (~5–10 items) so the group can track progress.
• EPA and Sydney Trains to keep their respective websites updated with trial progress; Sydney Trains to notify Brian (as WWRNAG rep) of developments/delays so he can inform the group's ~800 subscribers/Facebook followers.
• WWRNAG flagged unresolved frustration that responses to their last EPA licence-renewal submission were never followed up, and signalled they'll make another submission at the next licence renewal in 2027.