Transporting goods and passengers by rail is not noiseless. To reduce noise and increase public acceptance of rail transport, Deutsche Bahn aims to ease the burden on local residents – including during construction work.

Since catenary support pole and noise barriers must withstand constantly changing weather conditions, they are anchored deep in the ground. To reduce the resulting noise, DB continuously works on quieter machines and new technologies.

Less noise on the construction site 

DB Bahnbau Group uses so-called crawler drills on all construction sites where the soil conditions allow. These machines are much quieter than conventional ramming devices normally used in construction. Thanks to the drilling rigs, noise levels can be reduced by more than 20 decibels.

The use of crawler drills also eliminates vibrations caused by piling equipment. This allows work to be carried out near buildings without risk of damage. Another advantage is that the crawler drills can be moved on rails with a transport carriage, enabling work to be performed directly from the track.