Railway Lines (Hansard, 18 January 1990)

§ Sir John Stanley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will consult outside interested parties on his proposed terms of reference for his departmental committee to establish a noise standard for new railway lines.

§ Mr. Portillo
No. The object will be to establish the standard at a level which equitably relates to the standard set by regulation for new highways.

§ Sir John Stanley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will include outside members on his departmental committee to set a noise standard for railway lines; and whether the committee will consult outside interested parties before reaching its conclusions.

§ Mr. Portillo
Outside members will be included and there will be consultation. It will be for the committee to decide at what stage to consult outside interested parties.

§ Sir John Stanley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why he has decided that his Department's new noise standard for railway lines should relate to the standard set for new highways, and what account he has taken of the particular characteristics and pattern of noise from railway lines.

§ Mr. Portillo
I consider it right to aim for a noise insulation standard for new railway lines which is comparable with the standard currently set by regulation for new highways in order to be even-handed. It would not be right to discriminate in favour of or against people living near new railway lines as opposed to people living near new roads. It will be for the departmental committee to consider and take account of the characteristics and pattern of noise from railway lines.