Abstract
The draft of the Noise Nuisance Act gives the possibility to give maximum tolerable values of noise at the facades of houses alongside railway lines. This article provides a proposal on this matter. There are two basic questions: (1) is it possible to develop maximum values for railway noise production based upon analogies with road traffic; (2) at what noise levels do you find the maximum values for L max (the maximum noise level) and L eq (the equivalent noise level). The author gives values dependent on the speed of the trains and the traffic intensity expressed in coaches per hour.