On The Quiet Track

The failure of the UK to adopt an integrated transport policy is such a long-standing one that the seminal 1980s sitcom, ‘Yes, Minister’ devoted an entire episode to it…

In ‘The Bed of Nails’ the savvy Sir Humphrey points out that such a plan takes ten years to carry out and benefits everyone ‘except the Minister that introduces it’.

Thirty-five years on and transport infrastructure is firmly on the political agenda, thanks to Crossrail, Heathrow and the flagship rail policy, HS2, one of the biggest infrastructure projects Britain has ever seen.

With so much construction, traffic and noise expected, the project has attracted its fair share of criticism.

Advocates point to a boost to the economy, bridging the north-south divide, the transformation of cities into ‘knowledge-economy powerhouses’ and extra jobs. Detractors say it’s a noisy waste of money (£121m per mile, by some estimates), threatens endangered wildlife and will drain the West Midlands of talent, if evidence from France, Spain and South Korea is anything to go by.

Whatever your political leanings, your thoughts on HS2 might largely be determined by where you live in relation to it. Noise will certainly be a factor for those nearby. It’s the surrounding air particles, which vibrate or collide, that pass sound energy from its source to our ears, and if there’s one thing that trains certainly do, it is vibrate and make noise.

Leading the way in noise pollution reduction is the fenestration industry, in particular, secondary glazing. Thanks to a sealed void between inner and outer panes, secondary glazing’s unique soundproofing and draught prevention capabilities make it ideal for homeowners seeking extra comfort and quiet, and those along the HS2 route certainly have a good reason to want that.

In many respects, the country that pioneered rail travel might be a little late to the party. Japan’s shinkansen or bullet train is over 50 years old, Spain has built 3,100km of high speed track since the 1990s and the whole thing may prove irrelevant in the age of Skype, Uber and self-driving cars.

Nonetheless, the smart money expects the project to get full approval at the end of 2016, with construction beginning in 2017. In fact, ‘pre-qualifying’ for a £350m partner role contract started in March, with a £900m contract for enabling works also already out to tender.

Much of the extra cost of the line is attributed to the higher population density in the English countryside, leading to more compulsory purchase orders and expensive bypasses to avoid more affluent towns.

Campaigners also object to the environmental damage to much of rural England, yet pressure to reduce noise has led to almost a fifth of the 140 miles of track from London to Birmingham being enclosed in tunnel.

Unfortunately, the extra noise will still be a factor for those alongside the rest of the track and the very many around expanded train stations, such as Euston. Even there, however, there’s some cause for comfort.

Granada Secondary Glazing has a fantastic (if you will) track record, having already supplied bespoke noise reducing windows in a major refurbishment of The Great Northern Hotel, adjacent to both St Pancras Station and the new Western Concourse of Kings Cross Station.

“As you can imagine, the brief with all our hotel projects usually includes optimum noise insulation to ensure every guest can sleep undisturbed,” says Mike Latham, Director of Commercial Sales. “For the Great Northern, it was no different. High specification secondary glazing offered a great solution to the acoustic issues at this busy location, whilst remaining discreetly sympathetic to the renovation of a well known Grade II listed building.”

The new windows varied greatly in size, the largest being 2.7 meters in height, meaning the secondary glazing had to be both robust and light. Frame sizes were kept to a minimum with frames detailed to be hidden behind new internal window mouldings, further reducing their impact within the guestrooms.

“The beauty of our range,” adds Mike, “is their bespoke nature. It means we can just as easily apply this level of improvement to homeowners and local residents to keep the noise at bay.”

With such impressive results, perhaps the Minister’s bed of nails could have provided a good night’s sleep after all.