Gezz it's loud

[gatorback]

Okay.  I'm down with commuter rail but my gosh it's way loud.   

CapMetro is being bombarded with complaints with its midnight testing of the new rail cars.
The testing is being done between midnight and 7:00 am.  They have to blow the whistles at each crossing.
Apparently freight rail doesn't have to do that.  Let me just say that JEA's 7 AM whistle has nothing on these rail cars moving between the Burnet Road facility and Howard Lane Station.  You'd think for $120 million I'd be able to get some sleep right? Wrong.

Ock:  I'm thinking those light rail cars would cut down on my Ambien requirements. 

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/stories/121907kvuecapmetro-bkm.31b8efe4.html

Maybe we need Flintstone cars instead.   

I ride my bike along the tracks and gosh, kids cross the tracks all the time.  It's encouraging to know Capital Metro is putting in special gates at the high foot traffic crossings to make those areas less risky.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A563814

[Nawdry]

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Just to be clear...

The Stadler DEMU railcars are darned quiet. The "noise" refers to the safety horn blowing and sound of bells at the crossing gates.  Those problems will diminish as quad gates are installed and the FRA grants exceptions to hornblowing rules and permits quieter, directionally focused bells at the gates.

Safety for motorists and peds is a major concern because increased traffic, both passenger and freight, on this line is unexpected.  For decades, homeowners were told by real estate salespeople that the railway would eventually be abandoned. Obviously, the opposite is happening.  In general, the motoring public aren't accustomed to the increased traffic that all railroads are experiencing, and the faster, heavier transit traffic on surface railways and busways. Capital Metro has a very innovative and aggressive safety program that is designed to address public awareness. In addition, fencing is being installed to discourage random crossing of the tracks as much as possible.

If this were a major new arterial roadway being installed, there would be none of this happening - no safety outreach, no fencing. Horns, motor noise, brake screeching would all be an "accepted" part of urban background noise in these neighborhoods. How many people are being interviewed by the media with their complaints about the traffic noise from a new road?

LH

[gatorback]

I do salute CapMetro for going the extra mile and putting in those quad gates.  Jacksonville should follow--duh Austin again on this.  Convert that FEC crossing at San Macro Blvd. and Prudential drive first.  The horn blows out onto the river then just echos to OP.

And LH, have you ever heard a 2007 Stadler DEMU commuter rail car model X371207-H1BBC?  Maybe it's just because the tracks they are testing on are over 100 years old.  Maybe it's because they are new.  Regarless, I think they need oil or something.