If Vancouver’s Skytrain system is part of your daily commute, chances are you have noticed the loud screeching noises, particularly at higher speeds on the Expo Line, the original Skytrain Line.
You’re not alone.
In 2015, Global News wrote, SkyTrain noise level raises concerns. When the VP of Communications at TransLink was asked about the high noise levels reported by Skytrain passengers, he stated, “It’s not unsafe”, but followed up by saying that the most problematic areas of track on the Expo Line were being investigated.
Since then, TransLink has made improvements to address excessive noise levels but the complaints have continued to pour in. The question is, are the SkyTrain noise levels enough to damage your hearing, and if so, what is TransLink doing to improve the situation?
A History of SkyTrain Noise Complaints
In 2016, the Vancouver Sun reported that TransLink looks to muffle SkyTrain after False Creek residents complained about noise between Main Street-Science World and Stadium-Chinatown stations. This area of track is one of many sections where the trains switch tracks.
Although these complaints made by False Creek residents were based on noise heard from outside the train, intuitively it makes sense that noise levels inside the train are often related to noise generated outside the train (SkyTrain Noise Study Vancouver, pg 1), and that regions of the route where excessive noise exists outside the train ought to be investigated as a priority.
In the years following, however, the SkyTrain noise complaints from passengers and Vancouver residents mounted:
- Squealy SkyTrains trigger 1,000 complaints (2017)
- Does anyone think the skytrain has gotten louder in the last several years? (2017)
- Letter: Do something about SkyTrain noise (2017)
- Skytrain commuters, what do you to avoid hearing damage? (2018)
- How loud does it get on the SkyTrain? Try 99.8 dB (2018)
In 2018, TransLink signalled relief was on the way for SkyTrain passengers who continued to ride in discomfort because of the excessive noise levels.
The action plan put together by TransLink in November 2018 called SkyTrain Noise Assessment Strategy concluded by listing five noise-mitigation measures to investigate further:
- Maintenance of switches
- Harder rails
- Top of rail friction modifiers
- Acoustic rail grinding
- Rail dampeners
Naturally, any plan to mitigate noise on such an extensive transit system will take time. However, five years after this noise assessment strategy, the complaints about noise—both inside and outside the train—are more intense than ever.
What level of noise is harmful to hearing?
What level of noise is loud enough to damage your hearing? Best to trust your instincts on this one. If it sounds too loud, it is too loud.
Conventional wisdom states that sounds registering 70 dB or below are safe and not damaging to human hearing. The typical sounds of an office, for example, clock in at around 70 dB.
This table from MDHearingAid.com displays safe exposure times for different noise levels before hearing protection is recommended.
For example, over 8 hours, a safe noise level would not exceed 85 dBA.
Note that noise level studies for human hearing typically measure the impact of environmental noise levels on humans in dBA, not dB.
While decibel (dB) is a relative unit used to measure acoustics, the “A” in dBA stands for A-weighting. This measure de-emphasizes low frequencies to more accurately approximate the relative loudness perceived by the human ear.
According to The National Institute on Deafness, prolonged exposure to sounds at 85 dBA or higher can cause hearing loss.
How does the SkyTrain system’s noise levels compare to a safe level of 85 dBA?
What is the Noise Level of the Skytrain?
In 2022, UBC researchers Lauren Keilty and Nicholas Samuelson wrote Detrimental Decibels: A Study of Noise Levels in Vancouver’s SkyTrain System.
Their research suggested that although the average noise intensity level of the SkyTrain from inside the train fell within “medically safe levels”, the peak levels of sound have the potential to cause hearing loss for SkyTrain passengers with long-term exposure.
Expo Line: The Oldest and Noisest Line
These are the average (mean) and maximum values for three different Skytrain cars measured in the Keilty, Samuelson study:
| SkyTrain Line | Average (mean) Noise (dBA) | Maximum Noise (dBA) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Line – Olympic Village to Vancouver City Centre Stations | 64.00 | 93.40 ± 1.5 |
| Expo Line (New) – Burrard to New Westminster Stations | 70.97 | 94.60 ± 1.5 |
| Expo Line (Old) – Burrard to New Westminster Stations | 76.17 | 102.9 ± 1.5 |
Exposure Time: 85 dBA and Louder
The data below shows the percentage of exposure time per line to noise levels at 85 dBA or above.
| SkyTrain Line | % of route with noise level 85 dBA or above¹ | Exposure time to 85 dBA or higher² |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Line – Olympic Village to Vancouver City Centre Stations | 0.74% | 1.78 seconds (out of 4 minutes of travel time) |
| Expo Line (New) – Burrard to New Westminster Stations | 2.10% | 35.28 seconds (out of 28 minutes of travel time) |
| Expo Line (Old) – Burrard to New Westminster Stations | 14.18% | 3.9704 minutes (out of 28 minutes of travel time) |
Consider the oldest train on the Expo Line route from Burrard Station to New Westminster Station. Nearly four minutes of a roughly thirty-minute ride exposes you to 85 dBA or over. Never mind the conventional information about the acceptable level of environmental noise. Four minutes where the sound of the train is loud enough to make you want to cover your years is too long.
Comparing Skytrain Noise Levels to Other Subway Systems
How does the noise level inside the Skytrain compare to other subway systems?
In a 2019 paper, Cabin Noise of Metro Systems in Various Cities out of Singapore, interior noise levels from London, Prague, Paris, Singapore and Taipei city metro systems were measured and found that “the average level for all metros was well below 85 dB” and deemed “not likely to exceed the maximum duration of noise exposure”.
But like the SkyTrain system, although the average levels were within the accepted medically safe ranges, the peak noise levels in all systems exceeded 90 dBA, with the Paris and Taipei transit systems reaching peaks of 99.6 dBA and 100.4 dBA, respectively.
At prolonged exposure, peak noise levels can cause noise-inflicted hearing damage. For the long-term safety of its passengers, these peak exposure times are worth more scrutiny.
Translink’s Plans to Address Noise Complaints
In August 2021, TransLink published the SkyTrain Noise Mitigation Study Phase 2 Recommendation Report and Implementation Plan.
This plan outlines mitigation plans and estimated timeframe for completion as follows:
Switch monitoring and maintenance
Replacing worn switches can reduce noise by at least 10 dB or more. Noise issues related to switches occur between Stadium-Chinatown and Main Street Stations, Commercial-Broadway to Nanaimo Stations, Metrotown to Royal Oak stations and 22nd Street to New Westminster Stations, to name a few.
Expo Line Rail Replacement
Expo Line rail replacement with harder rail steel is underway and expected to continue until 2027. Reduced noise levels of 5 dB are expected at the sites with harder rail steel which also require less maintenance.
Friction Modifier
Implementation of friction modifiers would improve rail conditions over the long term and help to reduce noise.
Improvements to rail grinding
Rail grinding removes rail defects and corrects the rail profile from wear and tear. Regular rail grinding, regardless of the track’s condition, is necessary. This plan includes the implementation of new acoustic grinding techniques.
Rail dampers
Rail dampers would reduce noise radiated from the rails and help to reduce overall noise levels.
Future of Vancouver’s SkyTrain Noise Improvements
In 2023, a whopping $35 million from the Canadian Federal government and TransLink was allocated to improve and address more than a decade’s worth of noise complaints from SkyTrain passengers and residents of Vancouver and Burnaby who live along the Expo Line.
Work is underway on the track between Commercial-Broadway and Nanaimo stations and will continue until at least 2027.
Time will tell whether these upgrades finally address the SkyTrain noise level issues and ensure passengers and the surrounding community are not impacted by noise-inflicted hearing loss.
¹ Keilty, L., & Samuelson, N. (2022, October 16). Detrimental Decibels : A Study of Noise Levels in Vancouver’s SkyTrain System [R]. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0421693
² Exposure time data was calculated based on route estimates between the respective distances from TransLink and are not from the Keilty, Samuelson study.