BOSTON — The Readville section of Hyde Park has a love/hate relationship with MBTA commuter rail.
“We love commuter rail in our community,” said State Rep. Rob Consalvo. “You miss this train, you can run across the street and catch another one. If you miss those two, you can run down to Cleary Square or Fairmont and catch those.”
Four train lines run through Readville, making for quick and convenient ways to get to downtown Boston. The trains running through the neighborhood aren’t the problem. It’s the ones left behind: at the T’s Southside Maintenance Yard.
“There’s noise, there’s diesel engine emission, there’s bells ringing and horns blowing,” said Consalvo. “We got so many complaints from folks just wondering what the noise vibration and the sounds were.”
Last spring, the MBTA released the results of a noise study of the maintenance yard.
“They had sound recording locations all around the neighborhood,” Consalvo said. “The data showed obviously this is a facility that’s making noise in a residential neighborhood.”
Residents reacted to the study results on a mass Zoom call.
“During the warmer months, before you turn the air conditioning on, if you have windows open it’s torture,” said one woman.
Never have I felt this kind of impact on my sleep,” said another. “And as a result of that my general health.”
“We all know what the issue is,” said a man from Milton. “It’s idling trains. And they idle all the time.”
The trains idle all the time because diesel engines power commuter rail locomotives. Shutting diesel down means a lengthy process to restart — which could delay getting trains back into service and could even result in damage to some components. Plus, keeping the engines running allows maintenance workers to make repairs with heat and electricity.
Consalvo brought the neighborhood’s concerns to T General Manager Phil Eng. After a lengthy meeting, Consalvo said he came away convinced the MBTA wants to work with the neighborhood to lessen its burden.
Some possible solutions he’s proposed: sound barriers, plug-ins to allow maintenance work without idling the engines, and a diversion of some of the locomotives to a planned new facility closer to Boston.
“We need to coexist,” Consalvo said. “Less diesel engines running, less emissions in the community, less noise.”
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