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Burnaby residents say screeching SkyTrain is unbearable, TransLink says it’s working on it

Click to play video: 'SkyTrain in Burnaby making loud screeching noise'
SkyTrain in Burnaby making loud screeching noise
WATCH: If you've taken the SkyTrain in Burnaby recently, you may have noticed an unpleasant sound coming from the tracks. It's a loud screeching noise that speaks to just how old the Expo Line is. It's not so bad when you're riding it, but as Jennifer Palma reports, it can be overpowering if you live in the area – May 11, 2023

TransLink says it knows some of its SkyTrains, especially on the Expo Line, are noisy but it is committed to reducing noise as much as possible.

After a letter to the editor of the Burnaby Now newspaper generated more than 150 comments on a Reddit thread, TransLink told Global News it will be implementing recommendations put forward by an independent consultant to deal with the matter.

According to the letter, the curve just west of the Edmonds station, on the Expo Line, is the worst for noise pollution.

The Expo Line is nearly 40 years old, having been built for Expo 86, and TransLink said trains will always have some level of noise.

Click to play video: 'SkyTrain noise complaints on the rise'
SkyTrain noise complaints on the rise

According to a report conducted in 2018, TransLink stated it is implementing a number of noise-mitigation techniques.

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These include replacing the rail with harder steel, improving rail grinding techniques to reduce noise and adding rail friction modifiers and rail dampers throughout the system.

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“TransLink is committed to reducing SkyTrain noise for residents as much as possible,” the organization said in a statement. “We are implementing recommendations put forward by an independent consultant who examined ways to mitigate noise on the SkyTrain system.”

Click to play video: 'Look back at the Royal visit to Expo 86 in Vancouver'
Look back at the Royal visit to Expo 86 in Vancouver

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