AN INEVITABLE byproduct of convenience brought by the new Ma On Shan Rail is the noise from the running trains. The KCRC has implemented noise control measures in planning the new extension.
The company was now considering additional solutions in areas exposed to higher noise after some Ma On Shan residents living near the railway said the trains were generating more noise than they were used to.
The KCRC said noise control had been implemented according to the parameters set in the Technical Memorandum of the Noise Control Ordinance.
Acting chief executive officer Samuel Lai Man-hay said: 'During the overnight trial operation on November 20 and 21, we tested the noise level as well as punctuality. The objective was to ensure the noise level is within the acceptable level prescribed by law, which is around 55 decibels.
'We are a few decibels within the requirement. The Hong Kong standard is already stricter than the standard applied in other major cities in the world,' he said.
The KCRC has installed a multi-plenum noise containment system at rail track level and noise barriers and noise enclosures in noise sensitive stretches of the rail.
