Sustainably built noise walls are going up along a section of the rail corridor in Thornlie to reduce rail noise for nearby residents along the METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn Link Project.

Terracotta-coloured, hollow-core concrete panel and steel post noise walls are being erected next to the rail corridor in Lyrebird Way and Partridge Way, Thornlie.

Hollow core concrete panels are a more sustainable alternative to the standard precast option, saving about 20% in cement material, 80% in steel weight, and an estimated cradle-to-gate carbon emissions savings of 63,104kg CO_2e. Or, the equivalent to saving the greenhouse gas emissions from almost 14 petrol cars driven for one year.

The noise walls will replace existing fences that provide separation from the rail corridor. Engagement with residents was a key focus during the planning and development stages of these works, to minimise project impacts and maximise overall satisfaction for property owners and tenants.

Almost nine kilometres of noise walls will be built, which will be installed in stages.

The noise walls will vary in height between 2.4–5.5 metres, depending on the distance between residential properties and the rail corridor, existing barriers, topography and predicted noise levels.