Losing cool due to AC train noise, say Jogeshwari residents

Residents living near railway track submit written complaint to railway authorities, say noise of AC train disturbing their peace; WR officials say noise is within permissible limits

Afzal Bhai Khandwani has stayed near the railway tracks in Jogeshwari for the last 30 years. The sound of trains has become a part of his consciousness. But for the last one year, he’s begun to dread the sound of one particular train: the AC local. Every time it passes by, the Khandwani household rushes to close the windows. Phone callers are put on hold; children stop doing their homework, and Afzal bhai’s elderly parents shudder.

When asked about the noise levels, Western Railway DRM Niraj Verma said the noise generated by the AC local was within permissible limits. (HT PHOTO)

A real estate broker, Afzal Bhai works from home, so he is particularly affected. “Even mail trains aren’t that noisy,” he said. “My house is between the main SV road (the arterial road running through the western suburbs) and the tracks, but compared to the noise from the AC trains, the noise of traffic from SV road is nothing,” he said.

With Western Railway increasing the frequency of AC trains to almost one every half hour, this problem became a topic of discussion among other residents living in buildings facing the Jogeshwari tracks. That’s when they decided to approach Mansoor Darvesh, who, as secretary of the Passenger and Traffic Relief Association, had helped in getting escalators installed at Jogeshwari station.

Wanting to check things out for himself, Darvesh visited stations from Jogeshwari to Bandra, stood at railway crossings and at various distances from the tracks, and spoke to railway staff. “They all admitted the sound of the AC trains were a problem for them too. There was no way they could complain, but they encouraged me to do so,” he said.

On October 30, Darvesh handed over complaint letters to the PAs of the Divisional Railway Managers of both Western and Central Railway. Ten days back, he tried to meet them personally, but they were busy. Office staff however, told him that this problem could only be rectified by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, where the trains are manufactured.

When asked about the noise levels, Western Railway DRM Niraj Verma said the noise generated by the AC local was within permissible limits, and that he was not aware of any complaint having been submitted to his office.

According to sound pollution activist Sumaira Abdulali, the solution lay in installing sound barriers along the tracks wherever residential buildings fall on the route. However, she pointed out, for that, the residents would have to prove that the noise generated by the AC trains was above permissible limits. This could be done by measuring the sound level at different times over a week or 10 days with the help of an appropriate app.

Permissible limits set by the BMC and the Central Pollution Control Board are 55dB during the day and 45 dB at night. Police have to take action if the noise goes 10dB above these limits, she said.