Quieten down! Work begins on Tube’s noisiest line

NEW technology is set to reduce the volume on London’s “noisiest” Tube line. Work will begin to replace track fastenings on the northbound and southbound stretches of the Northern line between Camden Town and Euston this summer in a bid to reduce noise and vibrations, Mayor Sadiq Khan said. The line was labelled the Tube’s noisiest in March after figures showed it had been the subject of more than 280 residential complaints relating to noise and vibrations in the previous four years — more than any other line.

Tube bosses had begun trialling an alternative track fastening system known as Delkor on the Jubilee line before the pandemic, with initial results said to be promising. Mr Khan, speaking at Mayor’s Question Time, said that the stretch of the Northern line was “the next planned site for installing Delkor”.

Tube drivers on the line threatened industrial action in 2019 over noise levels which were compared to those of a rock concert. Levels of up to 109.5 decibels were recorded, with the worst noise on the High Barnet branch between Euston and Tufnell Park.