State Representative Jay Livingstone is asking the MBTA to investigate long-standing complaints from Beacon Hill residents who say Red Line trains can create excessive noise and disruptive vibration in homes.
The complaints are concentrated in two areas, according to Livingstone. The areas are properties around Mount Vernon Street and the small alleys off Joy Street, including Mount Vernon Place and Joy Place, and homes on the other side of the hill near Lindell Place, where the Red Line emerges from its tunnel.
Livingstone said he has heard from Mount Vernon Street residents who report enough vibration from passing trains to shake objects on shelves.
One Beacon Hill resident, who spoke with The Boston Guardian on the condition of anonymity, described the problem as an “extraordinary disruption.” They said that vibrations can be felt as high as the sixth floor of their building and that passing trains have caused damage to their property, including pieces of a radiator coming loose and floor paneling splitting open.
The resident said that they purchased their condo in spring of 2024, and the noise and disruption have steadily grown worse since and expressed frustration with a lack of communication from the MBTA.
On November 25, 2024, the MBTA eliminated all Red Line speed restrictions when service resumed following a major track-work shutdown. It was the first time in at least 20 years that the entire Red Line was operating without slow zones.
During the work, the MBTA replaced more than 1,200 track fastener plates between Park Street and Charles/MGH, which the agency said would improve noise and vibration mitigation.
The MBTA declined a request for an interview, but said in a statement that “MBTA personnel will observe the area along the Red Line, meet with the local representative, and determine the best course of action to address noise complaints.” It had not returned a request for additional information as of the deadline of this publication.
Representative Livingstone is working with the Beacon Hill Civic Association to hear complaints from residents and has arranged for MBTA officials to meet with affected residents at their homes. He described the goal as, “first to establish the scope of the problem before determining what measures could address it,” and encouraged affected residents to reach out to his office.
The problem has a history of extending well beyond the current complaints.
In 2000, a study recorded vibration from 420 individual Red Line train passages in the tunnel beneath Beacon Hill. Researchers found that individual train cars could be identified by their vibration signatures and concluded that targeted maintenance of the cars producing the most vibration could reduce vibration levels.
Subsequent MBTA research and planning documents show the agency pursued a range of measures to address Red Line noise and vibration in the following years, including wheel maintenance, resilient track mats and rail fasteners.
Researchers have identified the tunnel section between Park Street and Charles/MGH as a location where the subway passes close to residential foundations and basements. The MBTA has used vibration-control measures including resilient track materials and specialized rail fasteners in previous efforts to reduce the impact of trains.
For Representative Livingstone, the immediate priority is determining exactly what residents are experiencing today and he wants MBTA officials to see the problem firsthand.
