Residents in Wombarra can share in a $50 million pool of funds to soundproof their homes against the squeal of freight trains.
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People living in the northern suburbs have complained for several years of being woken in the night by the squealing wheels of freight trains rubbing along the rails and engines labouring to haul their loads up a rise in the tracks.
Transport for NSW had set up a team that was working with various government departments and rail freight companies to come up with solutions to reduce this noise. Some of the measures included testing lubrication to reduce "wheel squeal" on tight curves and working with rail freight equipment suppliers.
The latest approach has been to set up $50 million in government funds to pay for noise reduction measures in 200 homes a year over the next decade. It's called the Freight Noise Attenuation Program (FNAP) and Wombarra is one of the first six suburbs in NSW able to access the funding.
A maximum of $30,000 will be spent on each property but only living and sleeping areas facing the rail line will be treated.
Treatments can include new or upgraded windows and doors, enclosing or sealing gaps, vents and openings, and installation of ventilation systems to allow for circulation of fresh air.
Residents in other suburbs can apply and be assessed for future inclusion in the program. To be eligible, the home must be no more than 100 metres from a freight train rail corridor, cannot be part of a building more than three storeys high and must be directly facing the corridor.
The home also must have been built prior to January 1, 2009, when new development guidelines for noise mitigation measures were introduced.
There will be an information session on Thursday from 5pm at the Coledale Community Hall.