Federal Railroad Administration's Ruling:

1
Federal Railroad Administration's Ruling

• Use of Locomotive Horns At Highway-Rail Grade
  Crossings Establishing Quiet Zones

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Why has FRA issued this Rule?

• Required by statute in order to provide national
  policy for trains to sound a locomotive horn at
  public grade crossings.
• To permit exceptions where no significant risk
  exists.
• Promote Quality of Life without
• Compromising Safety

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Floridas Experience

• July 1984 Florida authorized night-time whistle
  bans at crossings equipped with flashing lights,
  bells, gates and signs.
• FRA noted a 195 increase in collision rate
  during ban hours at FEC crossings and 67
  increase at CSX crossings.
• July 26, 1991 FRA issued Emergency Order No. 15
  that ended whistle bans in Florida.
• Current Florida Statute CH 351 (.03) Any
  railroad train approaching within 1,500 feet of a
  public crossing shall emit a signal audible for
  such distance.

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FRAs Train Horn Rule History

• Nov 2, 1994 Statutory mandate enacted by Congress
  (Federal Railroad Safety Authorization Act of
  1994) to issue regulations requiring the sounding
  of locomotive horns at all public crossings, and
  to provide exceptions under specific conditions
  and circumstances.
• Apr 1995 FRA completes and issues Nationwide
  Study of Train Whistle Bans.
• Jan 12, 2000 Notice of Proposed Rule Making
  (NPRM) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement
  (DEIS) is issued

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FRAs Train Horn Rule History (Contd.)

• Dec 18, 2003 Interim Final Rule (IFR) is
  published, effective date of Dec 18, 2004
• Nov 22, 2004 IFR effective date changed to Apr 1,
  2005
• Mar 18, 2005 IFR effective date changed to June
  24, 2005
• Apr 27, 2005 Final Rule is published
• June 24, 2005 Final Rule goes into effect

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FRA Changes in Train Horn Requirements

• Requires the sounding of locomotive horn
• approaching every public crossing (replacing
• state law and railroad operating rules)
• Horn shall be sounded at least 15 sec but no
• more than 20 sec before locomotive enters
• crossing and not greater than ¼ mile
• Sec. 229.129 defines minimum and maximum
• train horn decibel levels (96dBA-110dBA)
• Effect of these changes will be to reduce horn
  noise for 3.4 million of the 9.3 million people
  currently affected by unregulated train horn
  noise.

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Exception to Train Horn Sounding

• No Significant Risk of loss of life or serious
  injury
• Use of locomotive horn is impractical
• Safety measures compensate for absence of horn
• Establish Quiet Zone

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Quiet Zone

• A quiet zone is a section of a rail line
  thatcontains one or more consecutive
  publiccrossings at which locomotive horns
  arenot routinely sounded.

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Who may establish a Quiet Zone?

• Public Authority with jurisdiction for the
• roadway at the crossing
• If Quiet Zone includes more than one Public
  Authority
• All agencies must agree
• Actions must be taken jointly
• Quiet Zones may be established irrespective of
  state law

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Minimum Requirements of aQuiet Zone

• Minimum Length ½ mile
• Active Grade Crossing Warning Devices
• (Flashing Lights Gates conforming to MUTCD)
• Constant Warning Time (CWT) Device
• Advance Warning Signs

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Example of Standard Flashing Lights Gates
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Quiet Zones Two types

• Pre-rule Quiet Zones (none in Florida)
• Where train horns were silenced between October
  9, 1996 and December 18, 2003
• New Quiet Zones
• Any quiet Zones that do not qualify as Pre-Rule
  Quiet Zones
• New Partial Quiet Zones
• A Quiet Zone in which horns are only silenced
  between 10 P.M and 7 A.M
• Same requirements as New Quiet Zone

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How is a Quiet Zone established?

• Approach 1 Implement Suplementary Safety
  Measures (SSM) at every public crossing within a
  proposed Quiet Zone

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SSM Supplemental Safety Measures

• SSMs are the engineering improvements applied at
  a crossing to reduce the risk of a collision
• Temporary Closures
• 4-Quadrant Gates
• Gates with Medians or Channelization
• Devices
• One-way Streets with Gates
• Permanent Closure

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Temporary Closure

• Close the Crossing to Highway traffic during
  designated Quiet Zone periods
• Crossing must be closed during the same hours
  every day
• Public Authority maintaining the street is
  responsible.
• Effectiveness 1.0

Effectiveness value for each SSM references the
likelihood of a collision at the crossing as a
result of SSM being installed compared to
conventional crossing w/ train horn
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Four- Quadrant Gate System

• Install Gates to fully block the crossing when
  the gates are lowered
• Gates must conform to standards contained in
  MUTCD
• Effectiveness 0.77

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Gates with Medians or Channelization Devices

• Install medians bounded by non-traversable curbs
  or channelization devices on both highway
  approaches.
• Minimum curb height is 6-inches
• Effectiveness 0.80

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One Way Street with Gates

• Install Gates such that all approaching highway
  lanes are completely blocked
• Effectiveness 0.82

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Permanent Closure

• Permanently close the crossing to highway traffic
• Must completely block highway traffic
• Barricades and Signs used for closure shall
  conform to standards contained in the MUTCD
• Must account for traffic diverted to other
  crossing
• Effectiveness 1.0

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Alternative to SSM within aQuiet Zone Wayside
Horn

• Stationary horn system designed to sound like a
  Train Horn
• Mounted at the crossing
• Reduces noise pollution in neighborhoods located
  near grade crossings
• Treated as a One-for-One substitute for the train
  horn
• Warning sounded until train reaches the crossing

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Wayside Horn (Contd.)

• Horn system must be equipped with an indicator to
  notify the locomotive engineer that the wayside
  horn is functioning properly.
• Horn system must provide a minimum of 92 dB(A)
  and a maximum of 110 dB(A)

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Wayside Horn vs. Train Horn
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Alternative Safety Measures (ASMs)All ASMs must
be approved by FRA

• Non-complying SSMs (e.g., shorter, or otherwise
  modified traffic channelization devices)
• Photo enforcement
• Programmatic education and awareness
• Programmatic education and awareness
• Programmatic enforcement
• Justification for any education or enforcement
  ASM must show a statistically significant measure
  of its effectiveness in reducing risk.

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How is a Quiet Zone Established? (Contd.)

• Approach 2 (Risk based analysis)
• Risk of a collision must be at the level that
  would be expected with the train horn sounding,
  or below a nationwide average risk level at
  public gated crossings where horns are sounded
• 3 Scenarios under this approach
• Scenario 1
• Scenario 2
• Scenario 3

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Determination of Risk

• Components of Risk for each crossing
• Expected number of collisions
• Probability of a collision producing a facility
  or an injury
• Average number of fatalities or injuries that
  occur in such collisions
• Cost to society

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FRAs Quiet Zone Calculator

• FRAS Quiet Zone Calculator will calculate the
  risk index for each crossing, and other necessary
  values
• The Quiet Zone Calculator can be used to develop
  and store multiple scenarios (try it with
  different combinations of SSMs) for any Quiet
  Zone proposal
• http//safetydata.fra.dot.gov/quiet/

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Quiet Zone Risk Index (QZRI)

• Represents average risk index for all crossings
  in a proposed quiet zone with the absence of
  train horn.
• Risk index for each crossing is obtained from
  Quiet Zone Calculator developed by FRA (available
  online)

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National Significant Risk Threshold (NSRT)

• Represents the average risk index of all public
  gated crossings in the nation at which train
  horns are sounded.
• NSRT value is calculated by FRA
• NSRT value varies every year
• 15,424 (old value in IFR)
• 17,030 (as of April 27,2005)

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Risk Index With Horns (RIWH)

• Represents the average risk index in the proposed
  quiet zone that would exist if train horns were
  sounded at every crossing in a quiet zone

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Approach 2 Scenario 1

• Quiet Zone may be established without any
  supplementary safety measures or wayside horn if
  
• QZRI ? NSRT
• Reviewed annually by FRA to determine if the
  Quiet zone still qualifies under this rule

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Approach 2 Scenario 2

• Additional safety measures are taken at selected
  crossings so that
• QZRI ? NSRT
• Reviewed annually by FRA to determine if the
  Quiet zone still qualifies under this rule

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Approach 2 Scenario 3

• Additional safety measures are taken at selected
  crossings so that
• QZRI ? RIWH
• Not subject to FRA annual review
• Local jurisdiction will never need to be
  concerned about the NSRT

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Cost of a Quiet Zone

• Depends on
• Approach Methodology adapted
• Number of crossings needing improvements
• Type of improvement at a crossing

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FRA Capital Costs of Equipment

• Flashing Lights Gates - 150,000
• Flashing Lights Gates to Four Quadrant Gates -
  150,000
• New Four Quadrant Gates - 300,000
• Medians or Channelization Devices - 15,000
• Vender supplied cost (Railroad Controls Limited)
• Wayside Horn - 50,000

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Hillsborough County Quiet Zones

• Countywide study
• Identified 81 potential crossings
• Developed 15 Quiet Zones
• Cost of implementing Quiet Zones based on
  Approach 1 is approax. 23,000,000
• Cost of implementing Quiet Zones based on
  Approach 2 is 4,700,000
• Funding Options

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Summary of Costs of Quiet ZonesEstablished Based
on Different Approaches for Hillsborough County
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Funding Sources / Options

• No Direct funding sources for Quiet Zones
• Federal Government Programs (very low funding
  probability)
• Federal Highway Administration Section 130
  program
• Administered by the Federal Highway
  Administration (FHWA).
• Provides bulk of the federal crossing improvement
  fund.
• Up to 10 of the cost of crossing improvement may
  be assessed to the affected railroads.
• Countys efforts at receiving funds would be
  directed towards the State, not Federal
  government.
• Innovative Financing
• Special Benefit Assessment (Special Taxing
  District)
• Identify Noise Impact Area

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Train Horn Noise Concepts

• Train horn noise is measured in dBA
• dB decibels, general strength of noise.
• A indicates that the sound has been filtered to
  reduce the strength of very low high frequency
  sounds.

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Acceptable Noise in Residential Area

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  (HUD)
• Acceptable if ? 65 dBA
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Acceptable if ? 55 dBA

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Impact Areas

• Determined by FRAs horn noise model
• Impact Area (within 55 dBA Contour)
• Severe Impact Areas (within 65 dBA contour)
• ¼ mile on either side of the crossing

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Typ. Impact Area in a Suburban Area
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Required Notifications forNew Quiet Zones

• Notice of Intent Railroad State DOT
• 60 days notice to provide information and
  comments to public authority
• Notice of Quiet Zone Establishment RR State
  DOT
• 21 day notice

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Questions?