Construction at Blue Line stations<\/a> is ongoing to prepare them for the new vehicles, according to RT. The Green Line, which closed last summer for construction, will remain shut down until the new station at Seventh Street and Railyards Boulevard<\/a> opens, which Gonzalez said is expected to happen on Aug. 10.<\/p>\n What does the train sound like? <\/p>\n Sample the old and new warning sounds from Sacramento RT\u2019s light rail vehicles.<\/p>\n Play the old sound Playing Play the new sound Playing <\/p>\n The warning speakers were installed on every cab of a train to match the mechanical bell featured in the legacy fleet, which still operates on the Blue Line. But the digital sound has a higher pitch and has proven more \u201cpronounced\u201d than the physical bell, affecting neighborhoods near the tracks. When activated, the speakers chime twice every second, with more sustained notes than those from traditional railroad crossing signals.<\/p>\n To reduce noise for neighbors along the light rail tracks, the RT Board approved removing the sound from some cabs. The buzzer will now sound only from the operating and trailing cabs. This will reduce noise to the lowest possible levels allowed<\/a> under California Public Utilities Commission requirements, according to RT materials.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will noticeably reduce the overall sound level,\u201d Gonzalez said. The modification, she added, is a reflection of RT\u2019s commitment to \u201cbalancing operational safety with community quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n The board also approved more than $152,000 for Siemens Mobility to make the software and hardware changes, according to a board document<\/a>. However, the cost of the new speaker configuration will decrease to $324 from $430 per train for future low-floor vehicles that have not yet been built.<\/p>\n RT estimates the speakers will be updated between late July and mid-August, Gonzalez said. The engineering team will not start work until the end of June, so a specific date has not been set. Service will not be affected.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n![\"Passengers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SAC_7442_LES_260610_LightRail.JPG\" "\\"SAC_7442_LES_260610_LightRail.JPG\\"")
Passengers wait to board the light rail train at the 29th Street station in Sacramento on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. Sacramento Regional Transit will be making a change late this summer to the speakers that emanate the warning bell sound on the new S700 low-floor light rail vehicles. LIBBY SIMPSON libby.simpson@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
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