Train horns in the news in two states
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
Photo credit: David Bartus
Most Americans don’t think much about trains these days, but from the early 1800s until well after World War II, trains were an important part of daily life. Railroads made canals obsolete, and their importance was enshrined in popular songs over the years. Eventually, cars, trucks and the interstate highway system made railroads obsolete. Progress.
Most Americans don’t travel by train any more. Unlike in Europe, the distances between cities in the United States make intercity rail travel impractical. Also unlike in Europe or Japan, investment in high-speed rail travel has been lacking. Yet rail remains the most efficient way to move bulk cargo — think coal, wheat, iron ore or liquid chemicals — and railroad noise is a problem in some cities.
The sound of metal wheels on poorly maintained tracks can be a problem, with horn noise traveling further than track noise. Online information states that horn noise can travel 1-3 miles, but on a quiet night in a rural area it can be heard for up to 6-10 miles depending on atmospheric conditions and land contours. For the only new intercity rail line in the United States, the private high-speed Brightline train between Miami and Orlando, horn noise is a problem, too.
Two recent news stories report success and failure in dealing with railroad horn noise. In Texas, TV station KHOU reported that a years-long effort to get a quiet zone in one neighborhood failed. However, in Florida’s St. Lucie County, WFLX reported that three quiet zones were established. The criteria for eliminating horn use there included limited pedestrian use of the crossing, four-quadrant gates, no vehicle stacking (when a long line of cars and trucks wait to cross the tracks) and a history of no accidents at that crossing.
The Federal Railroad Administration has requirements for horn use and for quiet zones. In the hierarchy of transportation noise annoyance, rail noise ranks below aircraft and road traffic noise, but for those who live near the tracks, noise from wheels and especially from horns can be a major problem. The issue for horns is safety at grade-level street crossings, where rapidly moving trains endanger vehicles and pedestrians. The ultimate solution is below-grade or above-grade crossings, but those are costly.
In Texas, the noise problem remains. At three crossings in St. Lucie County, the problem has been solved. We hope that quiet horn zones will be possible at other rail crossings across the country. A quieter world will be a better and healthier world for all.