LOCAL people, blasted into action by the intolerable noise of train horns, could be in for a new year treat. According to local MP James Arbuthnot, new rail industry recommendations look set to cut train horn noise to more acceptable levels. But, while heralded by one campaigner as a possible "light at the end of the tunnel", it is feared the proposals could turn out to be "something of a curate's egg", appearing better than they actually are. At the forefront of a campaign to cut train- horn noise, James Arbuthnot (MP for North East Hampshire) has welcomed the recommendations put forward by the Rail Safety and Standards Board, which set out to reduce the nuisance caused by train horns. In a statement this week, he said: "Local residents in the Alton area have been suffering since the introduction of noisy train horns when old British Rail rolling stock was replaced almost two years ago." The introduction of the new Desiro trains in January 2005 saw a change in directional horns to horns positioned under the train which distribute noise sideways, causing an escalation in noise level to an ear-pounding 130 decibels. This was linked with an insistence by rail chiefs that, for health-and-safety reasons, trains should sound their horns when approaching every unmanned footpath crossing, no matter what time of day or night, and when entering or passing through a station. The result was a vociferous outcry from people living along the line from Alton to Bentley. Worn down by sleep deprivation and the constant abuse of their ear drums from four trains an hour sounding horns every time they approached a crossing, the residents called for a radical reduction in noise level, coupled with a change in tone and a cut-off point at night. And they took their protest to the highest level. By way of response, South West Trains was charged with reducing the noise level of the horns by about eight decibels (or 75 per cent). The result, according to James Arbuthnot, has been an extensive study into excessively loud train horns brought about by pressure from a small all-party group of MPs on the government and the rail industry. The recommendations include a night- time ban on the routine sounding of train horns; the use of "low" tone horns at whistle boards, and further reviews of whistle- board sites. Mr Arbuthnot said: "These train horns have made people's everyday lives completely unbearable and local residents have waited a long time for some serious proposals to be put on the table. "But I am delighted that, following a meeting we had with the Minister of Transport (Tom Harris MP) in October, the government has at last recognised that the balance needed to be shifted in favour of quality of life for local residents rather than that of arcane rail industry rules and procedure." He added: "A ban on the routine sounding of train horns at night time is the single most important measure that could be offered; but there are also other measures that will reduce noise levels during the day. "And there is a further commitment to continue reviewing the need for whistle boards and, for a lasting solution towards developing new horn technologies such as broadband." Commenting on the recommendations, local campaign heavyweight, the chairman of Binsted Parish Council, Ken Carter, told The Herald that even if the recommendations are accepted, they are unlikely to be implemented until the spring. "We will still have another four to five months of this problem" said the Bentley resident, who further pointed out that while there may be a quiet period at night, most children are in bed long before the proposed 11 pm cut-off. While acknowledging the work of local MP James Arbuthnot, his colleagues and the Noise Abatement Society in trying to improve the situation, Mr Carter stressed the need for health-and-safety regulations to take account of the constant harm inflicted on a daily basis on people living near the main Alton-to- Waterloo line. While the campaign has succeeded in bringing about the removal of whistle boards on the line at Isington, Mr Carter said that there is still a major problem at Bentley Station, which has footpaths crossing the line at either end of the platform. And, while local residents had been led to believe that trains only need to sound a whistle when passing through the station, they are still whistling when stopping. "I believe the noise has increased - and it's not down to the rolling stock or the horns; the only variable is the drivers," said Mr Carter. He added: "We realise safety is a very important issue and we don't want to see safety compromised, but it's not doing people's health any good." Mr Carter feels what are needed are traffic lights on the footpaths and that SWT should be looking seriously at other suggestions, such as one by Holybourne-based acoustics expert Peter Whitmarsh. Mr Whitmarsh suggested a more appropriate way to alert people to an oncoming train would be to have a localised alarm system which would pick up the vibration on the line and ring a bell which could be heard at a particular crossing and not radiate into the surrounding countryside. Mr Carter would also advocate speeding up investigations into the broadband horn, which has a softer, more friendly tone. With a four-week consultation into the recommendations of the Rail Safety and Standards Board report due to end on January 16, James Arbuthnot is urging all those affected by noisy train horns to respond.
