Yesterday my wife and I took the Crosstown for the first time, from Kennedy to Eglinton. We had planned to ride it to Mount Dennis and then return to take the Spadina subway home. But we had to cut it short due to the noise. We sat at the very back of the front LRT car and the announcements were so very loud and needlessly long. Maybe it was the sound bouncing around the fishbowl of the aft glass, but we both had earaches and headaches by the time we reached Aga Khan. The announcement, in English and followed in French, repeated at every stop to hold onto the railings when in motion was unnecessary. I understand if Metrolinx wants to force French down our throats (which is odd, given only NB is a bilingual province), but does it need to be so loud and include obvious safety precautions? It was a relief to transfer to the subway at Eglinton with its stop and doorside announcements at a reasonable volume and unnecessary “hold the railing” call-outs omitted. I won’t return to Line 5 without my motorcycle ear plugs or noise canceling headphones.
Otherwise we enjoyed the ride, and if the announcements are lowered and curtailed we have a winner.
