BART begins track-quieting project Labor Day weekend

At one of its loudest stretches of track- between Balboa Park and Daly City - Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) plans to begin installing custom made rail dampers to help quiet the tracks Labor Day weekend.

These dampers, made of steel and rubber, physically clamp onto the rail every 30 inches and help lessen the vibration that causes the well-known screeching noise when trains travel over the track.

Crews will install the dampers near Balboa Park over Labor Day weekend when BART plans to shut down a section of track for vital repairs as part of its rebuilding and rail replacement program.

West Oakland installation will occur later in the year and will not require a track shutdown.

“The cost to purchase and install the equipment is $1 million per mile, so we can’t do the entire system,” Tamar Allen, Chief Maintenance and Engineering Officer told the Board. “Instead we are targeting the nosiest areas and will evaluate the success and the cost benefit of not needing to grind rail in those spots as frequently to determine how to move forward.”