The MBTA is working with a German company to finalize a possible solution to the screeching wheels of the Mattapan Line trolleys.

Residents of the area around Ashmont Station have long complained of the loud squealing caused by trolleys rounding the turn at the MBTA stop as they head back to the other end of the line in Mattapan.

MBTA officials met with residents Monday night, outlining progress on a long-term solution, which includes adding a “tuned vibration absorber” onto the wheels, between the rim and hub of the wheel.
Preliminary engineering is complete and a purchase order has been issued to Schrey & Veit GMBH, MBTA officials said.

The modifications might take a year, since the process needs about a month per trolley car. The line has ten such cars. Testing is underway at the MBTA’s Everett maintenance facility, according to meeting attendees.

A short-term solution has been in place since the summer, with sprinklers attached to the tracks to lessen the noise. MBTA officials say they’re working on other short-term solutions as winter draws closer. The agency has also used “noise attenuating blankets” – quilted blankets aimed at muffling the sound.