Abstract
A SERIOUS drawback to underground trains is the noise in the carriages when the train is in motion. In many cases this makes conversation even between people sitting next to one another difficult, if not impossible. It is interesting therefore to hear that experiments are being carried out on one of the busiest of New York subways with the object of eliminating most of the noise nuisance. According to the Electrician of December 15, five cars equipped with special noise-control devices have been placed in service by the Inter-borough Rapid Transit Co. with the object of finding out how they attract the public. If the silent cars attract the passengers, the new type of car is to be standardised. It is estimated that the new type of car eliminates about ninety per cent of the noise inflicted upon passengers by the usual equipment. The new cars are said to be so noiseless that passengers can converse across the aisles without raising their voices. Doors and windows are kept closely shut. This excludes dirt and dust as well as noise. The ventilation is provided by electrically driven blowers suspended from the ceiling. The cost of installing the new equipment in the old type of car is about sixty pounds.
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Noiseless Underground Trains. Nature 132, 999–1000 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/132999d0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/132999d0