Noise levels on one Tube line are officially louder than a concert, study shows

An experiment measuring noise decibels on the London Underground has revealed that tube trains can be louder than a music concert at its top speed.

The Victoria Line has been dubbed London’s noisiest underground track, with some Londoners experiencing high-pitched piercing sounds loud enough to drown out conversations.

A test carried out by the BBC on a music app revealed that when travelling along the loudest section of the track between Finsbury Park and Highbury and Islington, the shrieking noise can reach up to 112.3 decibels (dB).

In comparison, a music concert usually reaches sound levels of 110 dB and a chainsaw operates at 120 dB.

Finn Brennan, Aslef’s district organiser on the London Underground, has said that the noise levels on the line are currently the worst they have ever been.

“London Underground have admitted that on the Victoria line, it exceeds the legal limit that people should deal with in a working shift,” he said, according to the outlet.

“And they have had to issue ear defenders to drivers. But that’s simply a sticking plaster. The underlying problem needs to be dealt with and at the base of the issue is a lack of maintenance.”

Last week, some tube drivers announced they are planning to reduce the speed of their trains in protest of the loud and harsh noises on the underground network, yet dates for the action have yet to be announced.

Members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union voted to protest by slowing down, even reducing their speed by a small amount could also have a knock-on effect on the frequency of the rest of the network.

Transport for London (TfL) said it was working to resolve the issue of the high-pitched noises.

They said they have put plans in place to improve infrastructure along the Victoria line, yet TfL have currently asked all Victoria Line drivers to wear ear defenders until the issues are resolved.

Transport for London (TfL) has said that they are working to minimise noise and vibration levels in the underground by trying to remove defects on the rail surface.

The transport body says that they spend approximately £150m a year on track improvements, including a dedicated annual budget of £1m to develop rail noise technology.

TfL says that noise coming from the tracks can be from normal wear and tear, track faults or misaligned joints, but that they regularly inspect the track to make sure it is safe.

Measures such as removing insulated rail joints, which will eradicate a source of noise, replacing worn rails and introducing modern trains are among the measures TfL says they are taking.

However, rail grinding to remove ridges or grooves is currently TfL’s principal means of addressing tube noise, and they have already undertaken 17,500 metres of noise and vibration-related rail grinding in the last six months.

A TfL spokesperson told The Independent: “The safety of our colleagues and customers is always our highest priority, and we do everything we can to make sure the Tube is a safe and welcoming environment.

“We regularly measure noise levels across the Tube network, and recent results identified an increase in the level of noise exposure that Victoria line train operators are exposed to during the course of their shift.

The transport operation said they are encouraging trade unions to work with them to resolve the issue so they can “avoid unnecessary and disruptive industrial action that will impact Londoners”.

They added that noise exposure for passengers does not reach the same levels that a train driver would be experiencing during their multi-hour shift.

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