TransLink to address SkyTrain noise
Report found that in some areas near tracks, sound levels reached 90 decibels or higher
Relief could be on the way for those living near noisy SkyTrain tracks.
TransLink is exploring six ways to prevent or reduce the racket caused by trains as they navigate the tracks that run through seven Metro Vancouver municipalities.
The move is the result of a study that was conducted earlier this year with the goal of establishing a baseline for SkyTrain noise, finding out its impact on residents and identifying possible measures to reduce noise.
“We’re seeing this trend of increased densification, expanded service footprint and noise in the system coming together,” said Sany Zein, TransLink’s vice-president of engineering and infrastructure management, noting that a number of delegations have appeared before TransLink’s board and Mayors’ Council to complain about noise.
TransLink hired a consultant to conduct the study and also convened a community advisory committee made up of a dozen residents who had lodged noise complaints.
Between February and June, measurements and observations were made at 32 locations across the train network, and inside a test train.
The study used World Health Organization recommendations for community noise when assessing and benchmarking noise levels, which call for a maximum of 75 decibels at the facade of residential buildings, or the equivalent of the sound of a loud radio or television.
The study showed that noise levels at residential facades vary considerably across the train network. Typically, residential areas within half a block of the SkyTrain system are most likely to be exposed to noise, with residential buildings immediately fronting tracks or stations exposed to the highest noise levels.
In some cases, the maximum noise levels measured were around 90 decibels, or the sound of a loud car horn at a distance of three metres. One area that had noise levels of 90 decibels or higher was in between VCC-Clark and Commercial-Broadway stations.
“The study demonstrates that the noise level for residents immediately fronting the rail network exceeds desirable levels for an urban environment,” a staff report on the study stated.
Most of the noise is caused by steel train wheels on steel rails. The main contributing factors to the noise were train speed (the highest noise levels were adjacent to highspeed track sections), proximity and elevation of the home and track condition.
“The first two items are generally not in our control to do much about,” said Jeff Busby, TransLink’s director of infrastructure program management. “The third is where we can focus our efforts in terms of exploring potential mitigations.”
Rail roughness, corrugation, track defects and worn switches can increase noise levels by 15 decibels compared to areas with track and switches that are in good condition.
The six measures that have been suggested to reduce noise are; improving switch maintenance and rail grinding practices, installing rail dampers, re-introducing topof-rail friction modifiers, replacing rails with a higher quality rail and developing guidelines for new residential developments near SkyTrain.
Busby said TransLink was evaluating all of the options.
“First and foremost, we want to make sure they’re effective,” he said. “None of these are going to be inexpensive or easy to accomplish, so we want to make sure we’re targeting our efforts on the places where we’ll have the biggest impact on reducing noise.”
TransLink management is hoping to report its progress to the board in March 2019.