People Mover louder?

**gregster** · January-09-10, 09:54 AM

Hello. I am not around the People Mover much, but I remember seeing someone write here a while ago that it became louder once they changed the direction of the line.

Can someone confirm that it is indeed louder, and if so, does anyone know the technical reason why? Can it be lowered to its original noise level?

**pgn421** · January-09-10, 10:02 AM

bearings are probably shot. City can't afford maintaince on it. Too costly

**Gannon** · January-09-10, 11:18 AM

I'm hoping that isn't the case, PGN!

I'd guess it has to do with friction...they reversed direction when someone in maintenance noticed the tracks and equipment were wearing asymmetrically...so they decided to run it backwards for a while to balance things out.

So the noise is likely similar to how it used to sound before the stuff wore out from the single-direction use.

**Gsgeorge** · January-09-10, 11:47 AM

How often do they change the direction of the PM? I've never been one to ride it often and honestly don't remember when the last time they changed was. I do remember service getting cut out after the Hudson's demo, though, and the convoluted back-and-forth they had to do while the track was being repaired was just embarrassing. Talk about a tansit system that goes absolutely nowhere....

Bearinabox · January-09-10, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by Gsgeorge

How often do they change the direction of the PM?

So far they've changed it once, so about every 21 years on average.

**Gistok** · January-09-10, 02:52 PM

I believe that it went multi-directional [[back and forth) when the RenCen berms were being taken down and the RenCen PM Station was reconstructed. Anybody remember that?

And wasn't it completely closed for over a year during the Hudson's implosion, when some debris damaged the nearby tracks?

**buildingsofdetroit** · January-09-10, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

I believe that it went multi-directional [[back and forth) when the RenCen berms were being taken down and the RenCen PM Station was reconstructed. Anybody remember that?

I do. Your memory is correct, G.I.

**5speedz34** · January-14-10, 03:05 AM

When my dad used to work downtown he rode it pretty regularly. Him and I rode it last year and it the look on his face when he heard it was of shock. It sounds terrible when you are in it. I seriously wonder how bad of condition the trains are in.

**Zacha341** · January-14-10, 05:41 AM

Arghh! I think I will opt out of riding it any more. I rode it last in 2006 or so. It is probably a casualty of neglect ala the Kilpatrick regime of "spend-spend" that was not applied to city services or infrastructure. I wonder when was the last time it was inspected for safety and integrity.

Originally Posted by 5speedz34

When my dad used to work downtown he rode it pretty regularly. Him and I rode it last year and it the look on his face when he heard it was of shock. It sounds terrible when you are in it. I seriously wonder how bad of condition the trains are in.

MichMatters · January-14-10, 07:24 AM

Wait, so we're supposed to assume the noise is a safety issue?

You guys can contact Barbara Hansen, General Manager of the Detroit Transportation Corporation, to ask her what this is:

bhansen@thepeoplemover.com

You can also contact Ken Cockrel, who sits on the Board of Directors of the city-owned corporation.

**econ expat** · January-14-10, 10:05 AM

Eh, The Chicago EL trains are much louder. Nearby outdoor conversation stops when a train approaches on the tracks, unless one can read lips.

Yet that is a 'good noise'[[thriving transit), never heard it to be a safety concern.