Derby considers quiet zone for trains
Right now, federal rules require trains to sound their horn a quarter mile before each train crossing they approach. With several crossings in Derby, it's more like a constant sound.
For many in town, the noise is an annoyance. But some think silencing trains could be dangerous.
On a typical day on the west side of Derby, things can get rather loud.
"Mainly when they drive by, they're just really loud," says Tammie Melton, she runs a salon right next to a railroad crossing and is one of many who thinks the horns are just too much.
"They lay on it three or four times. I think a couple times before would be fine, but when they're right there. I think it's too much."
Right now, trains are required to sound their horns a quarter mile before every railroad crossing.
"In a city like Derby, where you may have a crossing every half mile, that's almost a continuous horn blowing all the way through town," says Dan Squires, Derby's City Engineer.
Now, the city is looking into establishing a quiet zone for the railroad.
"We have the opportunity to do a study and really figure out how feasible and what the costs associated with the quiet zone would be," Squires says.
Nellie Witt is a little unsure about the change.
"You can definitely hear the rumble of the train going by," she says.
She just bought a house right across the street from the tracks, and worries that silencing train horns could impact public safety.
"I guess I won't throw a fit if they get rid of it, but I do think it's a safety issue," says Witt. "There's been lots of people who have died on the tracks."
The city engineer says those safety issues are exactly what the study will be looking to address.
"Each crossing has to meet certain requirements, and the entire corridor has to meet certain safety requirements," he says. "So that's what the study does, is it says okay here's what would have to be done in order for this to qualify for a quiet zone."
If the city does create a quiet zone, there are some requirements. For example, they would have to make improvements to every railroad crossing to make it impossible for cars or pedestrians to go around the crossing arms.
