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.
In March, the Northern Line was revealed as the Tube’s noisiest line after TfL figures showed it had been the subject of more than 280 residential complaints relating to noise and vibrations between 2018 and February 2022 – more than any other line.
TfL had begun trialling an alternative track fastening system known as Delkor on the Jubilee Line before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the initial results said to be “promising”.
It came after transport unions threatened to strike back in 2019 over excessive levels of noise on four deep Tube lines, which was said to be caused by the existing type of track fastening.
Responding to a question from Labour Assembly Member Anne Clarke on Thursday, Mr Khan said the stretch of Northern Line between Camden Town and Euston was “the next planned site for installing Delkor”.
But he added that TfL’s ability to carry out further work to reduce Tube noise would be “limited” until “a sustainable funding settlement for TfL is provided by the Government”.
Mr Khan said: “I know that Tube noise remains a concern for many Londoners. I do take this matter very seriously and it remains a priority for TfL to continue to monitor noise levels closely. They’ll put in place practical interventions wherever possible, but until a sustainable funding settlement for TfL is provided by the Government, TfL’s ability to carry out the long-term and expensive interventions needed to tackle Tube noise is limited.”
TfL was granted a last-minute extension to the existing funding deal late on Thursday June 23, just hours before it was set to expire. The deal will now run until July 13, though a long-term funding deal is still yet to be agreed.
