Fury at freight train noise level

Network Rail said complaints about noise from freight trains had increased

Noise and vibrations caused by freight trains using the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine line has led to a huge rise in complaints, Network Rail has said.

The company said householders were angered by their properties shaking and the noise levels from trains carrying coal to Longannet power station.

The complaints coincide with a decision by German-based carrier DB Schenker to use the route at night.

The issue has led to calls for speed restrictions along the line.

A series of public meetings involving local politicians, Network Rail and Transport Scotland are taking place across Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire.

Falkirk SNP MSP Michael Matheson said the issue was becoming unbearable for some residents in the Larbert area.

He said: "Some of the coal trains are over 2,300 tonnes heavy. Each of the units on the train carries 100 tonnes of coal and there are 23 units.

"The people that live along the track have long accepted the line and the rail traffic but this is something else entirely."

'Sought assurances'

A spokesman for Network Rail said the level of complaints increased when the heavy coal trains began using the line in the autumn of last year.

Prior to DB Schenker, formerly known as EWS, using the new rail link, coal had been delivered to Longannet via the Forth Road Bridge.

He said: "If a company requests access to a line we are obliged to provide that access assuming there are no timetabling issues.

"We have had an increased number of complaints in this area which we will look into and investigate."

Residents have called for speed restrictions along the route to be considered as a way of limiting noise and shaking to their homes.

However, the spokesman added that issues like track type and the nature of the sleepers used were likely to have more of an impact upon noise than speed.

The company said they would be attending a public meeting at Causewayhead in Stirling about noise and vibration levels on 16 February.

Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Dr Richard Simpson said he had contacted Network Rail about local concerns.

He said: "I was involved with the original proposals for the Alloa rail link and I know that residents at that time had sought assurances that noise levels would be kept to a minimum during the night."

The Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine rail link was reopened in May 2008 to passengers and freight after a break of nearly 40 years.