Railway and MRT Acoustic Testing Standards for Commissioning

When a rail or metro project moves from construction to operations, “it sounds fine” is not an acceptance criterion. Commissioning requires reproducible, standards-based evidence—so operators, contractors, and authorities can sign off with confidence.

Geonoise Asia supports train and MRT acoustic and vibration testing across Southeast Asia and beyond, covering rolling stock, stations, depots, and surrounding communities—aligned with the standards most commonly referenced in international procurement and approval frameworks.

What we typically test during rail and MRT commissioning

Rolling stock (vehicle)

Exterior noise: pass-by, stationary, acceleration/braking where specified
Interior noise: passenger saloons and driver cabs under defined operating conditions
Vibration: ride comfort, low-frequency vibration, and building-related vibration metrics when required

Stations and depots

Station noise environment: platform and concourse noise levels, tonal components, and time-of-day profiles
Fixed equipment noise: ventilation plants, pumps, cooling towers, escalators (as applicable)

Passenger information and emergency communications

Speech intelligibility (STIPA) for public address, emergency announcements, and intercom systems

Community impact (where required)

Environmental noise assessment and reporting aligned with local limits and international methods

Core international standards and guidance we work with

Below is a practical map of the standards most often specified for railway and MRT testing. Final applicability always depends on your contract, authority requirements, and the rolling stock/track type.

1) Rolling stock exterior noise (pass-by and stationary)

ISO 3095:2025 — Railway applications — Acoustics — Measurement of noise emitted by rail-bound vehicles
Defines methods and conditions to obtain reproducible exterior noise emission levels for rail vehicles (type testing).
ISO 3095:2013 (legacy projects)
Still referenced in many contracts and approval frameworks; confirm which edition your specification mandates.

Typical commissioning use: pass-by noise at defined speeds, stationary noise at platforms/depots, and special operating conditions if included in the employer’s requirements.

2) Rolling stock interior noise (passenger and cab)

ISO 3381:2021 — Railway applications — Acoustics — Noise measurement inside railbound vehicles
Specifies measurement methods to obtain reproducible on-board noise levels for rail vehicles.

Typical commissioning use: acceptance testing inside passenger saloons and driver cabs under defined track and operating conditions.

3) Ground-borne vibration and re-radiated (structure-borne) noise near rail

ISO 14837-1:2005 — Ground-borne noise and vibration arising from rail systems — General guidance
Provides general guidance on ground-borne vibration from rail operation and resulting ground-borne noise in buildings.
ISO/TS 14837-31:2017 — Field measurements in buildings for evaluation of human exposure
Guidance for reporting and evaluating field measurements of ground-borne noise and vibration in buildings.
ISO/TS 14837-32:2015 — Measurement of dynamic properties of the ground
Methods to measure/estimate ground parameters needed to reliably predict vibration/noise transmission and design countermeasures.

Typical commissioning use: vibration and ground-borne noise checks at sensitive receivers, validation measurements for mitigation, and dispute-proof reporting.

4) Human response to vibration (ride comfort / building occupants)

ISO 2631-1:1997 — Evaluation of human exposure to whole-body vibration (general requirements)
Methods for measuring whole-body vibration and guidance related to health, comfort, perception, and motion sickness.
ISO 2631-2 — Vibration in buildings (occupant comfort/annoyance)
Guidance on human response to building vibration with measurement methods and weighting curves
BS 6472-1 (often specified in building vibration criteria)
Commonly used guidance on evaluating human exposure to vibration in buildings (UK-derived, but widely referenced in international projects).

5) Station and depot noise environment (environmental / community-style metrics)

ISO 1996-1:2016 — Environmental noise quantities and assessment procedures
ISO 1996-2:2017 — Determination of sound pressure levels for environmental noise assessment

Typical commissioning use: platform noise baselines, time-history documentation, comparison to limits, and structured reporting for authorities and asset owners.

6) Intercom and PA intelligibility (STIPA)

IEC 60268-16 (STI / STIPA) — Objective speech transmission intelligibility rating
Defines STI/STIPA methods used to rate speech transmission quality with or without sound systems; widely applied to PA and emergency communication verification.

Typical commissioning use: STIPA measurements at representative listener positions on platforms, concourses, and inside trains (when specified).

7) Room acoustics inputs that affect intelligibility (when required)

ISO 3382-2 — Reverberation time in ordinary rooms (useful for stations, halls, large rooms where RT impacts intelligibility and system tuning)
ISO 3382-1 — Room acoustic parameters in performance spaces (occasionally relevant for large-volume spaces)

8) Track / wheel roughness and track characterization (specialist pass-by accuracy)

These are not always part of commissioning, but they appear in approvals, disputes, and root-cause diagnostics:

EN 15461 — Characterization of track dynamic properties for pass-by noise measurements
EN 15610:2019 — Rail and wheel roughness measurement related to noise generation

9) Measurement instrumentation and traceability (defensible evidence)

To make results acceptance-grade, contracts typically require compliant instruments and a traceable calibration chain:

IEC 61672-1 — Sound level meters (Class 1 / Class 2 requirements)
IEC 60942 — Acoustic calibrators (field and laboratory classes)
IEC 61260-1 — Octave and fractional-octave filters
ISO/IEC 17025 — Competence of testing and calibration laboratories (for calibration credibility)
ISO 8041 series — Vibration measuring instrumentation for human response evaluation

Regulatory frameworks that may reference these standards

If your project is benchmarked to European rolling stock approvals:

EU Rolling Stock Noise TSI (Commission Regulation (EU) No 1304/2014, consolidated text) is a commonly referenced compliance framework and cites ISO/EN methods such as EN ISO 3381 and EN ISO 3095 in its technical approach.

For transit environmental assessment workflows (often used on internationally financed projects):

US FTA Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Manual (Report No. 0123) provides technical guidance for conducting transit noise and vibration analyses and is frequently used as a methodological reference.

What you receive from Geonoise Asia

A commissioning-grade package is not just measurements—it is a decision-ready evidence chain:

Test plan and method statements aligned to your specified standards and acceptance criteria
Instrument list, calibration certificates, and field calibration logs
Raw data + processed metrics (levels, spectra, tonality where relevant)
Uncertainty and limitations statement (to avoid “invalid test” disputes)
Compliance matrix mapping each requirement to the measured evidence
Practical mitigation recommendations if results exceed targets (vehicle, track, station, or system tuning)

FAQ

Which standard should we specify for train pass-by noise?
For vehicle exterior emission testing, ISO 3095 is the primary international reference; confirm the required edition (many new references point to ISO 3095:2025, while legacy specs may cite ISO 3095:2013).

What standard covers interior noise inside metro cars?
ISO 3381:2021 is the standard method for noise measurement inside railbound vehicles. ISO

Which standards apply to vibration felt in nearby buildings?
ISO 14837 (guidance and field measurement technical specifications) is widely used for rail-induced ground-borne vibration and noise, with ISO 2631 often used to interpret human response.

How do we verify intercom/PA intelligibility on platforms?
IEC 60268-16 defines STI/STIPA methods used to objectively rate intelligibility with or without sound systems.

How do we ensure results are defensible in disputes?
Use compliant instruments (IEC 61672-1, IEC 60942, IEC 61260-1) and maintain a traceable calibration chain (ISO/IEC 17025).