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MBTA vows to reduce screeching on the Orange Line
By adamg on Thu, 08/04/2016 - 12:28pm
The T is vowing quick relief for Orange Line riders driven mad by high-volume wheel squealing in the downtown tunnel over the past couple of days.
"Track Teams are working to address this asap," the T tweeted this morning. "Our apologies for the loud noise."
How loud is it? James Babu reported from Tufts Medical Center this morning:
The Orange Line is so loud, that I actually heard the train squealing 30 seconds before it even arrived.
La Bibliotequetress adds:
I noticed that yesterday between Back Bay and Tufts. So loud half of car covered ears, lasted 2mins+/-
Waldo reports the issue is not enough grease on the tracks.
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Comments
Screeching
About time. I wish someone sued them for hearing damage. I've been wearing earplugs on the orange line for the past year or so because I'm a musician and it's bad news.
Uhm, how about the Green Line
Uhm, how about the Green Line skull-shattering death screeches at Boylston and Gov Ctr?
Boylston Street
I speculate that they will lubricate those tracks with water similar to what they did at Government Center when they renovated.
Years ago, they had flange greasers
at the Boylston curve. Worked perfectly well at both reducing noise AND minimizing wear on the rails and wheels - which the new water jet at Government Center doesn't do so well, until they decided to stop maintaining them as a "cost-cutting" measure.
Funny story
So a few years ago I had an apartment on Commonwealth Ave between the Griggs and Allston Street T stops. Lovely, nicely-priced apartment, but after we moved in, we realized that's exactly where the Green Line goes SQUEEE around a curve.
One day I had the windows open and was on the phone with my sister as a train went by, SQUEEEE. To which my sister replies, "Did you get a pet pterodactyl? Because otherwise what was that noise?!?!"
I think I live in the same building...
I'm extremely familiar with this. Very nice apartment, under market price, bright and ventilated, perfect temperatures in winter, spring, and autumn... but as soon as the temps raise just a little bit, the rails start expanding and the coming and going of trains is DEAFENING. It doesn't help that the space between Allston and Griggs is on a curve AND a slope, so trains have to hit the brakes even harder and add to the horrible squealing.
On the upside
The screeching, while acting as drills into eardrums, drowns out the noises from cell games, and videos and that yapper who need to share their end of the phone call with everyone around them.