Elected officials form bipartisan effort to combat subway noise

March 7, 2024 Wayne Daren Schneiderman

The F train travels over its long elevated stretch south of Church Avenue. Wikimedia photo courtesy of MTATrain

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CONEY ISLAND — For decades, the noise emanating from the curved subway tracks near the West 8th Street F/Q train station has been a proverbial thorn in the side of residents that live nearby — and once again members of the surrounding community are hoping something can be done about it.

On Friday, Democratic New York State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and Republican Assemblymember Alec Brook-Krasny held a press conference outside of the West 8th Street F/Q train station to address concerns raised by constituents — particularly those in the Brightwater Towers, Trump Village and Warbasse Houses — regarding excessive subway noise and mitigation efforts.

New York State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton listening to “Boris,” a Brightwater Towers resident, voice his concerns.

Scarcella-Spanton, who represents the 23rd District, serving the north shore of Staten Island as well as parts of Southern Brooklyn that include Sea Gate, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach and Sheepshead Bay, said she hopes to call on the MTA “to right a wrong that these residents have had to live with for far too long.”

“This train has been an issue for many, many years,” she said. “And those living in the neighboring buildings have been plagued by noise pollution stemming from the curved overhead subway tracks.”

New York State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny at the podium with community members.Photos: Arthur De Gaeta/Brooklyn Eagle — New York State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny at the podium with community members.
Photos: Arthur De Gaeta/Brooklyn Eagle

Spanton pointed out that in early 2020, residents submitted a petition requesting that the MTA address the excessive noise levels coming from the curved, guarded sections of the track.

“And despite the MTA engineering and operations teams investigating the area and confirming the excessive noise that the residents were experiencing, there has been no relief for those in the community,” she said.

“We asked the MTA — in the form of a joint letter — to continue exploring all avenues for noise mitigation efforts, particularly the exploration of decreasing the speeds of trains moving across these curved tracks to five miles per hour (from approximately 20).”

This solution was previously and temporarily implemented many years ago to reduce train noise during music concerts in the area, according to Brook-Krasny, who represents District 46, encompassing Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach, Georgetown and parts of Marine Park.

Manny Galitskiy, president of the Luna Park Board of Directors.

“We are talking about thousands of people and their quality of life,” Brook-Krasny said, adding that he is hoping the reduction to five miles per hour is just the beginning. “Ultimately, we hope that there will be some other mitigation processes that the MTA will put in place here to reduce the noise, such as acoustic enclosures.”

Manny Galitskiy, president of the board of directors of nearby Luna Park, said that the noise is having a negative impact on his health.

“The additional noise is not helpful,” Galitskiy said. “Of course, the hope is to reduce the speed which will reduce the noise. But if that is not an option, surely something must be done.”

Michael Silverman, president of the board of Warbasse Houses, explained that during the day with ambient noise outside the sounds from the train aren’t as bad.

“But at night when it’s quiet you really hear it — and I’m a distance away from that curve,” he said.

While MTA officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment, “Mark,” a former MTA tower operator, told the Brooklyn Eagle that he doesn’t see the speed reduction as a feasible solution.

“Perhaps reducing the trains’ speed might work in terms of lessening the noise, but in the long run it’s going to affect service — especially during rush hour,” he said. “Trains would be crawling into the station and backing everything else up. It’s a very tough situation.”