Roughness and irregularities on the wheel and rail surfaces are a source of noise and vibration. Rail joints and squats on the rail cause a familiar clickety-clack sound as train wheels roll over them.
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Subway noise can range from 80-112 decibels (dB), which greatly exceed the 70dB level set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and EPA for safe environmental noise levels (Gershon, Neitzel, Barrera, & Akram, 2009).
Noise pollution and vibrations are some of the biggest concerns, particularly for people who live within one-third of a mile of railroads or railyards, says Natalia Caldeira Loss Vincens, an expert in public health at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
Guests are asked to limit conversation and speak in subdued tones. Phone calls are not allowed and all portable electronic devices must be muted or used with headphones (passengers using headphones must keep the volume low enough so that the audio cannot be heard by other passengers).
Areas close to the M25 motorway showed the highest levels of noise pollution. And traffic-dense areas like Soho, Covent Garden and Westminster also recorded pretty high noise levels of around 70dB, which is about the same noise level as a washing machine. Unsurprisingly, places around parks were the quietest.
Earplugs: Wearing earplugs can combat the train noise and help you sleep through the night. White noise: A white noise machine or app will provide a constant low-level background noise that can help you sleep through occasional train whistles.
In one study conducted at the BNSF Railway Hobart Railyard in Los Angeles, the California Environmental Protection Agency estimated that residents living near a railyard experienced a higher risk of carcinogen exposure.
The reason that trains honk their horns so much at night is because it's dark and the trains aren't so easy to see. Even though the lights are on, we sometimes can't see them coming, especially around the many blind curves near or ahead of the train station.
The majority of Reddit users agreed that the Hainault Loop of the Central Line was the quietest part of the underground outside of rush hour. One user wrote: “Hainault Loop of the Central Line, any time away from rush hour.” Followed by another who boasted: “Yeah I was there last weekend and had it to myself.”
In addition, exposure to impulse noise (abrupt high intensity sounds of short duration [e.g., whistles, horns, cannon blasts, fireworks]) should never exceed a peak sound pressure of 140 dB peak in adults, and 120 dB in children.