Tata Steel installs first silent railway in London

India-based Tata Steel has announced that it has developed and installed a 1.3 km special railway track, called SilentTrack, at Blackfriars, one of London's busiest train stations. The innovative railways tracks will reduce rail traffic noise in and around Blackfriars by up to 50 percent.
 
According to Tata Steel's statement, Tata's research team in Rotherham, South Yorkshire contributed to the development of the product after identifying growing public demand for noise reduction, particularly in urban areas. "SilentTrack also provides a simple, cost-effective solution to address the requirements of new European noise legislation," Tata Steel stated.
 
SilentTrack, which is already in operation in 13 countries, including Sydney, Australia, Oslo, Norway and the Rhine Valley, Germany, uses patented dampers to absorb vibration in the track as trains move over it. The dampers are made in the UK from Scunthorpe-made steel encased in a rubber-like material.