# Orlando now quiet zone for train horns



## pennyk (Feb 4, 2022)

Article in the Orlando Sentinel 2/4/22 (which may be under a paywall):









Orlando, can’t you hear the train whistle blow? Not anymore.


Engineers of nearly 60 trains every weekday no longer are to routinely trumpet their way through 35 Orlando intersections, sounding a practiced and thunderous melody of blasts – two longs, a short and a final long.




www.orlandosentinel.com








> An official “quiet zone” quietly became effective Monday and the Florida Department of Transportation announced the move on Thursday during a meeting of the SunRail commuter train commission.
> Operated by the transportation department, SunRail is responsible for 40 of the daily trains traveling through Orlando.
> “It’s about quality of life,” said Orlando’s transportation director Tanya Wilder. “We hear from our residents how they would prefer not as much noise pollution.”



As an Orlando resident who lives close enough to the tracks to hear Amtrak trains when they pass 2 different crossings (before and after a curve), I will miss the sound.


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## tgstubbs1 (Feb 4, 2022)

Do they have to have bells, or some other audible alerts? 

Horns could be overkill in an urban crossing but they could have a 'city' horn or something.


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## Dutchrailnut (Feb 4, 2022)

In Europe trains do not blow for any crossings , yes it gets a few morons every year, but on average it makes public smarter as to what to do.


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## pennyk (Feb 4, 2022)

tgstubbs1 said:


> Do they have to have bells, or some other audible alerts?
> 
> Horns could be overkill in an urban crossing but they could have a 'city' horn or something.


From what I understand, no audible alerts unless the engineer sees something on the tracks. I do not think horns are overkill in Orlando (judging by what I have seen of Orlando drivers).


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## Cal (Feb 4, 2022)

Dutchrailnut said:


> In Europe trains do not blow for any crossings , yes it gets a few morons every year, but on average it makes public smarter as to what to do.


Unfortunately in the US there's a lot of people who think it's a wise idea to try to beat the train. And there have been many incidents where people with headphones in have not heard the train coming.


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## joelkfla (Feb 4, 2022)

tgstubbs1 said:


> Do they have to have bells, or some other audible alerts?
> 
> Horns could be overkill in an urban crossing but they could have a 'city' horn or something.


No, but all grade crossings have to be protected by flashing lights & gates, with power out indicators, and with constant warning time devices in most cases.

Constant warning time devices sense the speed and distance of an approaching train to avoid a long delay between warning activation and arrival of the train, and reduce false warnings caused by switching movements near the crossing.

If the risk factor at a particular crossing is high, then Supplemental Safety Measures must be installed.
"SSMs include: medians or channelization devices, one‐way streets with
gates, four quadrant gate systems, and temporary or permanent crossing closures." [https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2020-05/QuietZoneBrochure.pdf]


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## Devil's Advocate (Feb 5, 2022)

tgstubbs1 said:


> Do they have to have bells, or some other audible alerts? Horns could be overkill in an urban crossing but they could have a 'city' horn or something.


I've heard them use bells at silent crossings where I live. They can also blow the horn if they see something. Unfortunately by that time it is often too late to avoid typical Floridian antics.



Dutchrailnut said:


> In Europe trains do not blow for any crossings , yes it gets a few morons every year, but on average it makes public smarter as to what to do.


They seem to have a better handle on concepts like personal accountability and self preservation.



joelkfla said:


> If the risk factor at a particular crossing is high, then Supplemental Safety Measures must be installed.


Measures which can turn a minor inconvenience into a major problem during malfunctions and irregular operations.


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## jiml (Feb 5, 2022)

pennyk said:


> Article in the Orlando Sentinel 2/4/22 (which may be under a paywall):
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Did they have to upgrade any level crossings, e.g. with double gates, gates where there were previously only lights, etc.? That's the hold-up with a similar resolution near my home. Residents have lobbied for years and neither CN nor CP want to pay for it. The community has set aside money for the project, but were hoping the railways would match. Good luck with that.

Personally I will miss them when it finally happens. I don't mind the horns, and two longs, a short and a long is a very reassuring sound that "all is well" in the middle of the night. (An extended long is almost never a good thing.)


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## joelkfla (Feb 5, 2022)

jiml said:


> Did they have to upgrade any level crossings, e.g. with double gates, gates where there were previously only lights, etc.? That's the hold-up with a similar resolution near my home. Residents have lobbied for years and neither CN nor CP want to pay for it. The community has set aside money for the project, but were hoping the railways would match. Good luck with that.
> 
> Personally I will miss them when it finally happens. I don't mind the horns, and two longs, a short and a long is a very reassuring sound that "all is well" in the middle of the night. (An extended long is almost never a good thing.)


Gates & lights required at all quiet zone crossings. Upgrades such as full quadrant gates depend on a calculated risk factor. USDOT says the burden for quiet zone improvements falls upon the local jurisdictions, not the railroads.

In this specific case, the Sentinel article says, "Upgrades at all Orlando crossings cost nearly $4.6 million, with the city, AdventHealth, Orlando Health and the Florida Department of Transportation contributing."


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## UserNameRequired (Feb 5, 2022)

~20 years ago, some crossings in my area went with pole mounted highly directional horns that get activated with the gates. It cuts the noise pollution across neighborhoods but still allowed audible annunciation down the roads.


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## Cal (Feb 5, 2022)

UserNameRequired said:


> ~20 years ago, some crossings in my area went with pole mounted highly directional horns that get activated with the gates. It cuts the noise pollution across neighborhoods but still allowed audible annunciation down the roads.


San Clemente has them, and honestly the bells are much louder and kind of drowns them out. What's the point?


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