Folk at the Brussels local transport company MIVB are scratching their heads. The wheels on the new M7 metro trains are wearing down faster than usual. They are being blamed for extra noise and vibrations. The transport company is puzzled because the wheels are made by the same producer and in the same way!
Residents along the route of metro lines 1 and 5 are not happy bunnies. For months now they have been complaining about higher noise levels and worrying vibrations. The transport company says the wheels are wearing down more quickly than those on older trains. The wheels become oval-shaped and no longer round and this is causing the problems.
MIVB is now filing down the oval wheels to get them round again, but this is no long-term solution because in time the wheels become oval once again producing more noise and those nasty vibrations.
Half of all the wheels on new carriages have now been worn down. The company doesn’t really understand why this is happening. “When we know the specific reason for the problem, we can do something about it” says MIVB director Renaud de Saint Moulin.
Until then the wheels will continue to be filed down. It’s costing the transport company a small fortune in wages and other costs. Moreover, the trains need to be taken out of service, while this happens.
“Our teams are doing their utmost to limit the impact on survices” says Renaud de Saint Moulin .