Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials have figured out what was causing six new Orange Line cars to make what they described as "uncommon" noises.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials have figured out what was causing six new Orange Line cars to make what they described as "uncommon" noises.

MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said Wednesday that the noise was being caused by a faulty "wear pad" at the spot where the vehicle body interfaces with the truck that holds the wheels.

"We are currently conducting testing and analysis to understand why that irregular wear is occurring which is causing the noise," he said. "It's not really a safety issue, but we wanted to fix the technical problem so it didn't become a safety or durability issue in the long run."

The new cars debuted four months ago, but were taken out of service Nov. 18 after the noise was detected.

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Poftak said his team is now working on a fix, but had no exact timetable on when the cars might be able to return to service.

"I know this is a great inconvenience to our customers," he said. "I know people love the new cars. We really look forward to putting them back in service, but we want to make sure we fix this problem now at really the earliest stages."

The cars, which debuted back in August, are more spacious and have wider doors and updated safety features.

The MBTA plans to replace their entire fleet of 152 Orange Line vehicles by the end of 2022 as part of a $2 billion revamp for both it and the Red Line.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials have figured out what was causing six new Orange Line cars to make what they described as "uncommon" noises.

MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said Wednesday that the noise was being caused by a faulty "wear pad" at the spot where the vehicle body interfaces with the truck that holds the wheels.

"We are currently conducting testing and analysis to understand why that irregular wear is occurring which is causing the noise," he said. "It's not really a safety issue, but we wanted to fix the technical problem so it didn't become a safety or durability issue in the long run."

The new cars debuted four months ago, but were taken out of service Nov. 18 after the noise was detected.