Sacramento Regional Transit changing some light rail warning bells. Take a listen
Sacramento Regional Transit has heard the complaints and some light rail train warnings will soon be quieter.
The digital “bell” sound that emanates from the new S700 low-floor light rail vehicles as they approach Gold Line stations and crossings has affected some neighboring residents and businesses enough that complaints have been filed with RT. In May, RT’s Board of Directors approved changes to the speaker configuration for multi-cab vehicles that will meet “all safety requirements while significantly reducing noise impacts,” agency spokesperson Jessica Gonzalez said.
The warning sound comes from speakers mounted on every cab of the S700 low-floor light rail vehicles, which were entered service in fall 2024. Thirty-five of the new trains are running on the Gold Line, and seven more have been delivered. A total of 65 vehicles have been ordered from Siemens Mobility, which manufactures the trains in south Sacramento, and the agency has the option to procure up to 76 more.
Construction at Blue Line stations is ongoing to prepare them for the new vehicles, according to RT. The Green Line, which closed last summer for construction, will remain shut down until the new station at Seventh Street and Railyards Boulevard opens, which Gonzalez said is expected to happen on Aug. 10.
The warning speakers were installed on every cab of a train to match the mechanical bell featured in the legacy fleet, which still operates on the Blue Line. But the digital sound has a higher pitch and has proven more “pronounced” than the physical bell, affecting neighborhoods near the tracks. When activated, the speakers chime twice every second, with more sustained notes than those from traditional railroad crossing signals.
To reduce noise for neighbors along the light rail tracks, the RT Board approved removing the sound from some cabs. The buzzer will now sound only from the operating and trailing cabs. This will reduce noise to the lowest possible levels allowed under California Public Utilities Commission requirements, according to RT materials.
“This will noticeably reduce the overall sound level,” Gonzalez said. The modification, she added, is a reflection of RT’s commitment to “balancing operational safety with community quality of life.”
The board also approved more than $152,000 for Siemens Mobility to make the software and hardware changes, according to a board document. However, the cost of the new speaker configuration will decrease to $324 from $430 per train for future low-floor vehicles that have not yet been built.
RT estimates the speakers will be updated between late July and mid-August, Gonzalez said. The engineering team will not start work until the end of June, so a specific date has not been set. Service will not be affected.
