As Deutsche Bahn, we want to provide the best possible relief from rail traffic noise for affected residents. To this end, we are working on innovative processes and optimizing our technologies to make our trains and systems even quieter. For many years, the so-called “macrophone test” was a particularly annoying source of noise for people living near rail facilities. The macrophone is the train's horn. It is essential for the safety of all road users. For example, it warns people on platforms and at level crossings without barriers of approaching trains.
Until now, the horns of our trains have been acoustically tested. Due to binding technical specifications, the horn test took place daily and often in the early hours of the morning while the trains were being prepared. This caused considerable noise pollution for the immediate vicinity of our railroad facilities.
Silent test procedure ensures noise reduction
In order to relieve residents around our plants and storage sidings from noise, we are adapting the horn testing procedure across the industry together with the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) and various other rail transport companies.
DB Regio and DB Fernverkehr have already analyzed the failure rates of the individual series in detail and determined that, with a few exceptions, acoustic testing of the horns can be dispensed with.
DB Regio and DB Fernverkehr have taken the lead and are already using the adapted alternative procedure. To this end, we have subjected the series of our trains to an intensive technical analysis. As a result, we were able to determine that, with a few exceptions, the daily acoustic testing of the horns can be dispensed with. As part of the alternative test procedure, we continue to test all safety-related components and check diagnostic messages on a daily basis. In this way, we ensure the function of the horns and fulfill all safety requirements.
The DB Regio fleet has been running without the daily acoustic test since the beginning of 2024. DB Fernverkehr has been dispensing with the daily acoustic test for over 350 ICE multiple units since the end of 2024 and uses the silent procedure. With one exception: we will stick to the old procedure for the ICE2 for safety reasons. In maintenance, the horns will continue to be tested acoustically as standard. DB Cargo is also currently working intensively on testing the implementation as part of the industry-wide adaptation.
