What problem does Ms. Lin have? 

Subway Sound to be Upgraded

BOSTON (April 1)-The public address systems at selected subway stations are scheduled to be refurbished, the Transit Authority announced this week. The systems are used to make announcements to commuters both on the platforms and in the stations.

Local commuters welcomed the news, although for some it was long overdue.

"It can be pretty difficult to understand the announcements at some of the stations I use most frequently," said Ian Miller, who has taken the subway to work nearly every week for the past eighteen years. "I had heard the reports about it on TV, and all I can say is that it is about time!"

Some of the systems currently in use are more than 30 years old. Worn-out speakers, wiring, microphones, and amplifiers will be replaced with new, more reliable devices. The work should be completed in October and cost more than $11 million.

Boston's subway system came together in stages over the course of several years. The foundational component of the system's Green Line first opened on Tremont Street in the late 1890s. It was the first of its kind in the United States.