Quieter horns could warn drivers at train crossings

[Lunican]

Quieter horns could warn drivers at train crossings

By RON LITTLEPAGE, The Times-Union

I'm not the only person losing sleep because of trains blasting their horns in the wee hours of the morning.

After I wrote a column earlier this week mentioning the sleep deprivation caused by trains, I heard from others.

In an interview on Wednesday, Michael Ward, the head of CSX, offered the standard defense of the annoying horn-blowing practice: Because of safety issues, federal law requires that CSX trains sound their horns - two long, one short, one long - while approaching road crossings.

But the Federal Railroad Administration rule allows for quiet zones, right?

Well, yes, Ward said, but local governments have to initiate establishing the zones and find ways to pay for the additional safety mechanisms the federal rules require.

"It has to be safe," he said.

Full Article:
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/031408/opl_257607867.shtml

[JeffreyS]

I know people in Ortega would love the horns to be quieter.  I know this has been stated as something that could be included with the MJ rail plan. So all of you rich influential Ortegans put some pressure on JTA for a commuter rail with upgraded crossings and quiet down your neighborhood.