Noise from London Underground

[Robbouk]

Hi everyone,

I did a search but couldn't really find an answer to this trivial question - I work at Paddington in an office which is above the District and Circle Lines and also stay in Balham above the Northern Line. In both places you can hear trains every so often and you can feel the buildings vibrate as trains pass. The thing is, it doesn't seem to match the frequency of the trains - for example it only happens every hour or so - why wouldn't every train cause the same noise and vibrations? Is it due to different maintenance or something?

Btw, I'm not complaining - the noise does not bother me at all just wondering why it's not every 5 minutes in line with the frequency of the service?

Thanks.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Working in a building at Kings Cross for years, almost directly above the Victoria Line, I've always heard the trains very clearly - but only very intermittently. I rationalised that the sound was there much more than when I was conscious of it, but that either I was working/concentrating hard enough(!) to subconsciously block it out, or that it was actually a very low-level noise and it only became apparent (and differentiatable from other noises) when other background noise was at a very low level. Maybe, a lot of the time, it was simply lost amongst the myriad of ambient noises coming and going in an old building in a busy area of London.

 

[rebmcr]

Working in a building at Kings Cross for years, almost directly above the Victoria Line, I've always heard the trains very clearly - but only very intermittently. I rationalised that the sound was there much more than when I was conscious of it, but that either I was working/concentrating hard enough(!) to subconsciously block it out, or that it was actually a very low-level noise and it only became apparent (and differentiatable from other noises) when other background noise was at a very low level. Maybe, a lot of the time, it was simply lost amongst the myriad of ambient noises coming and going in an old building in a busy area of London.

Indeed, I used to work in a basement office on Fitzroy Square, and the sounds of deceleration at Warren Street were audible enough to be recognisable as the Victoria Line, but could only be heard at all at the end of the day when most people had already left.

 

[MPW]

Same at my basement gym above central line next to bank

 

[Dstock7080]

A similar discussion a few months ago:

Noise from under ground

Noise from underground trains Those of you who have attended concerts in the Wigmore Hall (in Wigmore Street) may know that there are quite frequent even if faint rumblings that somewhat distract from the music. People say the noise comes from tube trains. But there are no tube lines that run...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[riceuten]

I did my degree at Queen Mary College - your finals and annual exams are usually in the "Great Hall" under which the Central Line runs (and you can feel it)

 

[Ivor]

Hi everyone,

I did a search but couldn't really find an answer to this trivial question - I work at Paddington in an office which is above the District and Circle Lines and also stay in Balham above the Northern Line. In both places you can hear trains every so often and you can feel the buildings vibrate as trains pass. The thing is, it doesn't seem to match the frequency of the trains - for example it only happens every hour or so - why wouldn't every train cause the same noise and vibrations? Is it due to different maintenance or something?

Btw, I'm not complaining - the noise does not bother me at all just wondering why it's not every 5 minutes in line with the frequency of the service?

Thanks.

Many years ago (should say many decades ago) I used to go to a Secondary school in Balham about a 5 minute walk away from the station & in some of the classrooms would often feel the trains vibrating under the floors & on occasion could hear them.

I also used to attend a Primary school very close about a 20 second walk from the station yet I don’t recall feeling or hearing them there but was that long ago maybe old age is affecting my memory

 

[Robbouk]

Thanks everyone, some interesting comments - I think it is probably just being used to it unless I consciously notice the noise.