Do you think SkyTrain is noisier than ever before? If so, you’re not alone.
Chris Marsella launched the Stop Excessive New West SkyTrain Noise! petition on change.org or June 25, with a goal of getting 100 signatures. Within a day, more than 80 people had signed the petition.
“Please help me! The eastbound SkyTrain heading into New West station has become unbearably loud!” reads the petition. “We are calling on TransLink and New West city council to step up and repair this line ASAP! We're all home a lot more these days; New Westers deserve some respite from excessive noise.”
In addition to signing the petition, Marsella encourages people to send feedback to TransLink at https://new.translink.ca/feedback.
While many of the people who have signed the petition noted that SkyTrain has always been noisy, many feel it’s gotten noticeably louder lately.
“It is ear-piercing – to the point that it makes our baby cry,” wrote one person.
In recent weeks, the Record has received a number of letters to the editor about SkyTrain noise.
Wendy Armstrong said she’s lived in her condo for 19 years and SkyTrain noise is worse than ever. With trains running from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., she said residents have to deal with noise almost 19 hours a day.
“Every time the SkyTrain goes by, it sounds like a jet taking off,” she wrote. “We sit in our living room with the patio door open and we are unable to have a conversation without raising our voices. Forget sitting on the balcony as it is impossible to have any conversation.”
In her letter to the editor, Armstrong recommended that TransLink fix the existing tracks before making any expansions to the SkyTrain system. She also called on city hall to help address the “quality of life issue” for local residents.
Armstrong’s letter prompted a response from Isabelle Schucroft, a resident property manager for a public storage facility in New West.
“My property is directly under the tracks on Stewardson Way. The noise of the passing train is so loud that during business hours we have to stop a telephone conversation as the noise is so loud, and when we are outside the noise is so deafening that instantly everyone covers their ears,” she wrote. “We live on-site as well. The noise is very difficult to handle inside the manager suite. Please, what could I do to further address this issue to get attention of the authorities to visit this facility to understand the severity of this problem?”
Peter and Judy Sauer, who moved to New West a couple of years ago, have found that SkyTrain is far noisier than trains. After complaining to TransLink about noise train brakes, they said a track maintenance crew fixed the problem – temporarily. They tolerated some recent noisy nighttime work on the track between the 22nd Street and New Westminster stations, assuming the issue would be resolved – but that’s not what’s happened.
“We cannot open our windows or doors and try and have a conversation or watch television. I know for a fact that sound gets way worse the higher one goes and for us as we are straight across from it and the noise is terrible,” they wrote in a letter to the editor. “What I want to know is why TransLink is not doing anything about it. For us, if you’re going downtown, the sound is just bearable, but if going into the Westminster station it is unbearable.”
In a statement to the Record, TransLink spokesperson Dan Mountain said the section of rail between New Westminster and 22nd Street stations was scheduled to undergo rail grinding in the spring, but the U.S.-based contractor was unable to do the work because of COVID-19 border restrictions.
“Rail grinding will be conducted by BCRTC (BC Rapid Transit Company) in the coming weeks, which should help to mitigate noise in the area over time. Ongoing rail replacement is also underway in the New Westminster area and throughout the system for the long term health of the rail,” he said. “We thank our customers for their patience while we work to improve rail conditions.”
