Transport Noise in Scotland
Background
Transport Scotland works in partnership with stakeholders and operating companies across Scotland to manage a comprehensive, multi-modal transport network that helps keep the country connected. Annual budgets for the 2025-26 financial year support the operation and maintenance of the current system, provision of new infrastructure, and management of the environmental noise impact of Scotland’s trunk road and rail network. A map of Scotland's Key Transport Infrastructure is provided in Appendix A.
The National Transport Strategy sets out the long term vision for Scotland’s transport system, to have “a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system, helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.”
The National Transport Strategy Fourth Delivery Plan sets out Transport Scotland’s key delivery commitments that will be undertaken prior to the end of 2025. This TNAP is one of the key commitments and will support the following National Transport Strategy priorities;
- Contribute to health, wellbeing, and sustainable economic growth.
- Management of transport noise.
- Respect our environment.
To maximise the benefits from action to improve the transport noise environment, it is essential that we build on the linkages with other key government policies and strategies across transport, climate change, health, environment, planning, energy and land use, and partner with a wider range of all organisations, and professions.
Across a range of transport policy commitments, Transport Scotland have embedded the need to manage and where possible reduce the impact of transport related noise. These are set out in Image 1 below.
Roads Noise
Transport Scotland leads the strategic management of Scotland’s road network, overseeing trunk roads, and working with partners to deliver the NTS priorities and objectives. This includes maintaining, upgrading, and monitoring the trunk road network, while also providing national oversight of transport investment to deliver the priorities of the National Transport Strategy and deliver a more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.
Transport Scotland aims to ensure road construction schemes are designed and constructed to minimise the impact of noise, using high standards of environmental mitigation, wherever reasonably practicable.
Railway Noise
The management of the railway industry in Scotland involves collaborating with multiple stakeholders, with various roles and responsibilities, working together in partnership. The Scotland's Railway partnership is a dynamic collaboration of Government and rail industry partners, including organisations and suppliers across the rail industry in Scotland, working together to deliver a safe, timely and high-quality railway across Scotland.
Scotland’s railway infrastructure, including the delivery of major infrastructure projects and general maintenance, is managed by Network Rail, and Transport Scotland is responsible for Scotland’s rail policy and delivery, including the following.
- Developing rail policy and strategic planning.
- Delivering major projects alongside industry partners.
- Promoting and investing in the development of sustainable rail freight.
- Managing economic regulation of the railways, and monitoring and advising on the affordability of the rail programme.
For any location, there are a wide range of measures that can be implemented to provide improved management of the railway noise and/or noise reduction. A summary of these are noted in Table 11 below.
| Measure | Details |
|---|---|
| Control of noise at source | Includes railway vehicle emission limit values and track maintenance techniques. |
| Planning controls | Through the operation of the national and local transport and land use planning system. |
| Compensation and insulation | In the case of new, additional, or altered works, these measures include noise barriers and facade insulation. |
The Our Scotland's Railway Climate Action Plan 2024 to 2029, authored by Scotland's Railway a group made up of around 150 different organisations and suppliers from across the rail industry in Scotland, noted noise complaints have been reduced by decreasing noise at work sites, and better informing communities about potential disturbance. The Action Plan commits to continuing these efforts with an aim to further reduce the rail noise and nuisance footprint, and deliver local environmental and social benefits.