Why do NYC trains make so much noise?

The NYC subway system is 70 to 100-year old railroad technology that's been 'shoved' underground, with tunnel and walls good for reflecting and amplifying noise, especially the high frequency screeching of out of true steel wheels with worn flat spots.



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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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Rail rules say to blow the horn before entering a tunnel. To warn if crews are around inside. It is a safety thing.

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South Ferry is the loudest station in an already ear-crushing subway system, with trains rumbling out at 111 decibels — as loud as a rock concert — according to a Post survey. Doctors say listening to such volume for one minute could result in permanent hearing damage.

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According to the recent findings of the MTA's Spring 2022 Bi-Annual Customer Satisfaction and Travel Survey, New Yorkers particularly dislike the D train, giving the line a satisfaction rate of barely 40%.

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So, as you can see from the name, all this honking business is pretty strict and obliges trains to make four blasts approximately 20 seconds before they reach a crossing. But that's not all! Trains whistles and horns are an effective method of communication!

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Tokyo subway has more than 3.1 billion riders each year. According to the Guinness World Records, Shinjuku is the busiest subway station in the world with about 3.64 million passengers every day.

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The screeching sounds heard on the London Underground are caused by the wheels of the trains rubbing against the rails.

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The horn alerts people that a train is approaching a railroad crossing. It can also be used to warn animals or trespassers in our right-of-way along a section of track. Many people don't realize that federal and state regulations require us to sound the horn whenever we approach any crossing.

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The intensity of sound will vary at night, sometimes louder and sometimes softer. It has to do with the height and strength of a temperature inversion just above the ground. On clear, calm nights, it is cooler at the ground than higher up.

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Under the Train Horn Rule (49 CFR Part 222, issued on August 17, 2006), locomotive engineers must begin to sound train horns at least 15 seconds, and no more than 20 seconds, in advance of all public grade crossings.

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Train whistles are used to communicate with other railroad workers on a train or in the yard. Specific combinations of long and short whistles have specific meanings. They are used to pass instructions, as a safety signal, and to warn of impending movements of a train.

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I never leave home without it.} Don't feel paranoid or embarrassed because you decide to cab it or leave the subway station. On the flip side, don't feel that the New York subway is “sketchy” because it's underground and smells bad. In most cases, the subway is a safer mode of transportation than driving.

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The original IRT line opened in 1904, and 116 Street - Columbia University (now a 1 train stop) was part of the first wave of stations that ran from City Hall to 145th Street at Broadway.

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