A Loud Case for Quieter Trains

Sign the Chicago 2100 Petition and Demand Modern (Sound-Dampening) Infrastructure

The city of Chicago can be loud. If you’ve ever waited for the Blue Line at Grand, you know the CTA train’s ear-piercing screech is part of the problem. While noise might seem like a secondary issue to important discussions like service reliability and safety, it ~ quietly ~ shapes how riders, neighbors, and workers experience transit today, and whether they support it tomorrow. 

The loudest section reaches 85-89 decibels in the blue line between Chicago and Grand, louder than typical heavy city traffic. This isn’t enough to create hearing loss, but is enough to create uncomfortable stress. The effects are worse on vulnerable elderly and young riders who are more sensitive to hearing damage. High levels of overall noise pollution are tied to cardiovascular disease, a stress response, and irritability. The perception of a ride shifts from a convenient trip across town, to a loud overburdening sensory experience some seek to avoid.

As obnoxious as the noise is to riders, it poses a real danger to vulnerable workers. Studies confirm current levels do not exceed occupational exposure limits, set by OSHA at 90 dBA over an 8 hour period. However, this does not factor employees who may be more sensitive to noise. Studies “confirm anecdotal observations of discomfort due to noise levels, and indicates a need for noise management, particularly in tunnels.” Riders only experience the harsh noise for minutes at a time. Workers endure it for entire shifts.

The legacy infrastructure and deferred maintenance works against the system here. Riveted steel structure and old track amplifies sound and radiates vibrations. CTA is very aware of the noise issue in current and future alignments. It isn’t a new problem, it’s a documented challenge the agency has understood for decades. Dating all the way back to 1977, a consultant report in the Dearborn subway recorded measurements near 100 decibels. They recommended adding sound absorbing material in subway tunnels, yet most stations were unaddressed. Decades later, station walls are lined with echo-prone concrete, amplifying every passing train. 

Recently efforts to mitigate noise impact have improved. The Red Line Extension (RLE) prepared various Environmental Impact Statements, with Appendix O solely focused on noise and vibration. These include detailed mitigation strategies, yet some level of noise is inevitable. 

Neighborhood Grievances 

Noise places neighbors and riders fundamentally at odds. Riders want to get to their destination quickly and reliably, but more trains at higher speeds are intrinsically louder. In 2025, Uptown residents wanted to reinstate a ‘slow zone’ as the noise from the nearby Red Line was “unbearable”. The perceived impacts of noise directly shape the political support for transit’s effectiveness (speed) and likely future investment. 

The CTA has responded to concerns in the past, but usually are only implemented when a capital improvement is built, not standalone noise improvements. In 2023 as part of the Red Purple Modernization (RPM), tracks in lakeview received a 4ft wall along the alignment to redirect noise up and away, measurably reducing sound by 10db: “That’s the difference between the noise level of a vacuum cleaner and a normal conversation.” Rare, targeted interventions have been done with rail grinding on rough patches and lubrication on curves to reduce screeching. 

Public tolerance for rail infrastructure depends on whether the system is a ‘good neighbor’, does it improve or worsen the neighborhood. Existing track is one thing, but if the CTA looks to expand rail in your neighborhood, would you mind if it ran in your backyard? When people living near the tracks associate it only with screeching steel and vibrating windows, the political cost to expansion grows.

Infrastructure Challenges and Opportunity

If Chicago’s trains are to thrive, CTA needs to strike a balance between minimizing neighborhood disturbance and providing fast reliable transit. Incremental steps need to be explored to improve the rider and neighborhood’s noisy experiences. Progress on reducing noise is happening, but often isn’t the focus, it’s simply incidental to ongoing capital investment.

New trains - the 7000 series - are being introduced on the blue line, with new suspension and wheels, being quieter for riders and neighbors. Modern concrete structures are built with a closed-deck, limiting transmission of noise and vibration to the surrounding area. Old rail is slowly replaced with continuous welded rail, quieting the wheel’s ‘clickety clack’ sound. These improvements are a step forward for smoother rides and reliable service, yet CTA has done limited work to specifically mitigate noise. 

With limited fiscal and oversight resources, it's understandable why replacement for noise reduction alone isn’t prioritized. It is competing for investment against miles of ‘slow zones’ impeding service speeds. Decades of underinvestment and neglected infrastructure make the noise worse and necessitate the need for major repairs across the whole system. Aging infrastructure is slowly, painstakingly updated with modern, quieter implements. 

Many of the solutions to quieting old viaducts and tracks is to just replace them, yet this replacement could help shift the branding of these improvements to gain more public support. The same upgrades required to keep the system safe and reliable also present an opportunity to tackle the persistent quality-of-life issue of noise. By framing infrastructure modernization as more than just maintenance, but the pathway to a quieter, transit-accessible neighborhood, CTA can build broader community support for long-overdue investments. It’s a win-win, delivering modern improvements and quieter rides for both transit users and the communities through which the train runs. 

When the infrastructure improvements disrupt less residents, the public perception around modernization projects improves. Noise-dampening improvements don’t need to be a standalone capital investment, rather they can be a critical catalyst to gain local backing. Quiet trains build trust in improvements, trust builds support, and support builds the modern transit system Chicago deserves.

Sign the Chicago 2100 Petition and Demand Modern (Sound-Dampening) Infrastructure