Measured
6 min
We measured the loudest commute in the city
A sound meter, five train lines and one very long Tuesday. The worst platform peaked at 104 dB.
We spent a Tuesday riding five lines end to end with a calibrated Class 1 sound meter clipped to a backpack strap. The aim was simple: find out how loud an ordinary commute really is, and where the worst of it happens.
Platforms, not carriages
The carriages were loud, averaging 82 dB with the windows shut. But the peaks all came on platforms, as trains arrived on curved track. The worst reading, 104 dB, lasted eleven seconds. That is louder than a lawnmower held at arm’s length.
What that means for your ears
Hearing damage is about dose: level multiplied by time. Eleven seconds at 104 dB is not a disaster. Doing it twice a day, five days a week, for years, adds up. That is the number Quelde One was tuned against: bring a platform down to a bedroom, every day, without you thinking about it.
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