LTA calls tender for rail dampers to reduce noise on Thomson-East Coast Line stretches

SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will call a tender to install rail dampers along noisier stretches of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), as an extra measure to address commuter feedback about rail noise.

LTA told CNA that its ongoing efforts include slowing trains in certain areas and grinding the track surface.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Oct 6), LTA said that it has also been trailling noise-reduction measures at selected locations, which have shown positive results.

Rail dampers are devices installed onto rails that absorb track vibrations and reduce noise emissions as trains pass over them.

The dampers will be installed where higher rail noise levels have been observed due to tighter track curves, such as between Springleaf and Lentor stations, Stevens and Napier stations, and Bright Hill and Upper Thomson stations. 

There will be no impact on train services because the installation will be done during engineering hours, LTA said, adding that it will continue to closely monitor the noise levels and adjust its measures as necessary.

The authority also said that the move builds on its ongoing trials of noise-reduction measures, which have shown positive results.

"We will continue to work closely with our public transport operators to monitor noise levels and improve your journeys." 

LTA's Facebook post also highlighted feedback about rail noise, including a post on online forum Reddit, in which someone described parts of the MRT line as "deafening". 

In a 2023 media reply to a letter about noise levels on the TEL, Mr Yee Boon Cheow, then LTA's group director of rail (electrical and mechanical), said that the authority and public transport operators closely monitored noise levels on all MRT lines.

He also said that all underground MRTs are generally kept to an interior noise threshold of 85 decibels LAeq. Still, the threshold may be exceeded along certain stretches of the TEL due to the track curvature in those areas.

"The curved track alignment was necessary to minimise the need to acquire land from residents and shorten commuting time for all passengers."

He added that mitigation measures had been implemented, including slowing the trains in those areas and grinding the track surface to smooth the contact between the tracks and wheels.