The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has called a tender to install about 5.5km of railway noise barriers at 16 new locations along elevated railway sections of the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL). Please refer to Annex A for details of these new locations.

2.  This is the third phase of the railway noise barriers programme. LTA expects to award the tender in July 2019. Following design and off-site fabrication works, on-site installation works are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2020 and be completed around 2023. The noise barriers are expected to reduce noise levels from passing trains by about five to 10 decibels.

Updates on Phases 1 and 2 of Installation Works

3.  The installation of noise barriers is a complex and laborious process that involves extensive retrofitting of existing railway structures. It has to take place after passenger service hours, and needs to be coordinated with other ongoing maintenance and renewal works that occur during that time. LTA therefore prioritises stretches along elevated railway tracks where railway noise levels exceed NEA’s noise criterion of 67 decibels averaged over an hour. The implementation of Early Closures and Late Openings along the NSEWL since December 2017 has enabled LTA to speed up the installation of railway noise barriers, while pressing on with other maintenance and improvement works.

4.  Installation works for Phase 1 of the railway noise barriers programme have been completed. On-site works for Phase 2 commenced in September 2018 and are expected to be completed by 2020. When Phase 3 is completed in 2023, about 27km of noise barriers would have been installed across the island. Please refer to Annex B for the locations under Phases 1 and 2 of the railway noise barriers programme.

Other Measures to Reduce Noise from Passing Trains

5.  In the meantime, we will continue working with the train operators and manufacturers to mitigate railway noise in other ways. These include fitting trains with noise-dampening wheels, using ballast and concrete sleepers on tracks for better absorption of noise, and servicing the train wheels and tracks more frequently.


Annex A: Phase 3 - Installation of railway noise barriers
Annex B: Phases 1 and 2 - Installation of railway noise barriers