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Soon your journey on the Tube could be a lot quieter as London Underground is testing new technology to reduce noise in the tunnels. Up until recently, TfL has attempted to decrease track noise by grinding the tracks to restore the track profile. But if anything noise has got worse over the years with the Northern line being ranked the noisiest.
According to figures released by TfL in March, the line was subject to more than 280 complaints by residents relating to noise and vibrations between 2018 and February 2022. Other noisy lines included the Jubilee and Victoria lines. To combat the problem, TfL has begun trialling new track fastenings.
They currently use Pandrol Vanguard track fastenings which are good for reducing the transmission and vibration and noise from the track to nearby buildings, but have been shown to increase the noise inside the train carriages. As an alternative, TfL is testing Delkor track fastenings between Baker Street and St John’s Wood on the Jubilee line.
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(Image: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The advantage of these ones is that they will limit residential noise levels and simultaneously reduce in-carriage noise compared to Pandrol Vanguard fastenings. After the Jubilee line, TfL is set to trial the new fastenings on the Northern line from Camden Town to Euston. The Mayor’s office also revealed that over the past six months, over 17,500 metres of rail track were ground by TfL maintenance staff.
TfL will continue to conduct other targeted interventions to decrease noise including removing redundant rail joints, maintaining points and crossings and re-ballasting track.
Sections of the London Underground that had rail grinding from December 2021 to May 2022 are:
Central line
- Bethnal Green to Liverpool Street
- Holland Park to Shepherd’s Bush
- Marble Arch to Lancaster Gate
- Mile End to Bethnal Green
- Notting Hill Gate to Holland Park
- Queensway to Notting Hill Gate
- Shepherds Bush to White City
- Stratford to Mile End
District line
- Bromley-by-Bow to Bow Road
- Cannon Street to Mansion House
- Mansion House to Black Friars
- Hammersmith & City-
- Barbican to Moorgate
- Kings Cross St Pancras to Farringdon
Jubilee line
- Baker Street to Bond Street
- Bermondsey to London Bridge
- Canning Town to North Greenwich
- Canning Town to West Ham
- North Greenwich to Canary Wharf
- St Johns Wood to Baker Street
Victoria line
- Finsbury Park to Highbury & Islington
- Green Park to Victoria
- Highbury & Islington to Kings Cross St Pancras
- Seven Sisters to Finnsbury Park
- Stockwell to Brixton
- Tottenham Hale to Seven Sisters
- Victoria to Pimlico
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