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Some subway emergency door alarms turned off by MTA

The 96th Street 123 Subway station is bustling during the end of the morning commute in Manhattan Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014.
The 96th Street 123 Subway station is bustling during the end of the morning commute in Manhattan Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014. Photo Credit: Theodore Parisienne

The MTA made its noisy subway a bit quieter over the last year by eliminating hundreds of emergency door alarms.

Last year, about 450 alarms were silenced in stations with booth agents, according to MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.

Riders have endured the alarm’s high-pitched squeal as they arrive to their destination and exit the station, rarely in emergency situations.

The removal of the alarm was done on a case-by-case basis, according to New York City Transit’s Louis Tendler, who told the City Council yesterday that the agency is considering disabling more.

Councilman Corey Johnson called the alarms “noise pollution”

“What do we need to actually make sure that we don’t have the EH EH EH when people open the doors,” he complained to the panel of MTA officials.