Sound Transit: Light rail noise harmful to health, but not for long
TUKWILA, Wash. -- Sound Transit laid out the good, the bad and the ugly on the noise produced by its light rail trains on Friday.
First, the bad: as the agency first admitted in June, noise from the new light rail line in North Tukwila exceeds the federal standards.
The ugly: Sound Transit said light rail is not just loud enough to interrupt sleep, but also loud enough to hurt you.
And the good: There is an easy fix to the noise problem, and the repair work can begin immediately.
One of the noisiest spots along the light rail route is in Tukwila, where neighbors say the screeching of the trains disrupt their sleep.
"It sounds like scratching something across a chalkboard," said area resident Amanuel Nussr.
Other people living near curves on the tracks have said the harsh noise can be unbearable.
"It's definitely louder than I thought it would be," said Yuji Higashi, another resident.
After several noise tests during the summer, Sound Transit found trains running on the elevated track over one neighborhood in Tukwila exceeded a federal standard intended to protect sleep.
But Sound Transit promises quieter nights are on the way. The agency just made an emergency declaration stating noise from the trains is a public health problem.
The emergency declaration will allow the agency to start work immediately and spend up to $1 million to hush the squealing wheels.
"What the board did yesterday was give us the authority to go ahead and get some contractors on board (and) bypass some of the administrative things that can hold up work for up to a month," said spokesman Bruce Gray.
Crews will install lubricating devices on the track way to essentially grease the wheels.
But some sleepless residents remain skeptical of such a simple fix.
"I don't know. It just sounds funny that you are going to use grease to reduce friction noise from a train," said Nussr.
But Sound Transit says the fix will work. It says residents will see big improvement at several spots along the 14-mile line.
"We think it's going to make a big change in squeal that you hear going through some of the curves down there," said Gray. "Also, there is a retrofit of some of the track work there that's going to eliminate a lot of that thumping noise that you hear. We think it's going to make a big difference."
After several noise tests during the summer, Sound Transit found trains running on the elevated track over one neighborhood in Tukwila exceeded a federal standard intended to protect sleep.
First, the bad: as the agency first admitted in June, noise from the new light rail line in North Tukwila exceeds the federal standards.
The ugly: Sound Transit said light rail is not just loud enough to interrupt sleep, but also loud enough to hurt you.
And the good: There is an easy fix to the noise problem, and the repair work can begin immediately.
One of the noisiest spots along the light rail route is in Tukwila, where neighbors say the screeching of the trains disrupt their sleep.
"It sounds like scratching something across a chalkboard," said area resident Amanuel Nussr.
Other people living near curves on the tracks have said the harsh noise can be unbearable.
"It's definitely louder than I thought it would be," said Yuji Higashi, another resident.
After several noise tests during the summer, Sound Transit found trains running on the elevated track over one neighborhood in Tukwila exceeded a federal standard intended to protect sleep.
But Sound Transit promises quieter nights are on the way. The agency just made an emergency declaration stating noise from the trains is a public health problem.
The emergency declaration will allow the agency to start work immediately and spend up to $1 million to hush the squealing wheels.
"What the board did yesterday was give us the authority to go ahead and get some contractors on board (and) bypass some of the administrative things that can hold up work for up to a month," said spokesman Bruce Gray.
Crews will install lubricating devices on the track way to essentially grease the wheels.
But some sleepless residents remain skeptical of such a simple fix.
"I don't know. It just sounds funny that you are going to use grease to reduce friction noise from a train," said Nussr.
But Sound Transit says the fix will work. It says residents will see big improvement at several spots along the 14-mile line.
"We think it's going to make a big change in squeal that you hear going through some of the curves down there," said Gray. "Also, there is a retrofit of some of the track work there that's going to eliminate a lot of that thumping noise that you hear. We think it's going to make a big difference."
After several noise tests during the summer, Sound Transit found trains running on the elevated track over one neighborhood in Tukwila exceeded a federal standard intended to protect sleep.