Many people ask about why they still hear train whistles when we approved upgrades to the tracks at Fordem and the area some time ago to make them stop. Alder Rummel did a good recap of where we are, so I’m passing it along. Why reinvent the wheel?!
The City of Madison has a contract with the Balfour Beatty Rail Inc. to install the crossing improvements required by the Federal Railroad Administration to implement a quiet zone in parts of the neighborhood. FRA requirements mandate trains sound their horns at all public at grade railroad crossings unless the municipality has an established and approved quiet zone. The Feds regulate train horns, not the city. All we can do is spend a lot of money to install crossing gates. Unfortunately there has not been any money allocated by the council for upgrading the rail crossings in the Willy St part of the rail corridor at this time. The area closer to the new Goodman Atwood Community Center on Waubesa St is scheduled to get gates in 2009 and can expect relief then.
Balfour has begun begin working on the required crossing improvements at Winnebago, Division and LaFollette: vehicular crossing will be removed and a bike path installed thru the street right of way.
Upon completion of the crossing improvements in the 3A section (see link below for explanation) the City will then create a quiet zone which will require the trains to stop sounding at the following railroad crossings: East Johnson St, East Washington Ave, First St @ Main St, Second St, Fourth St, Winnebago St and Division St.
This should be in place by the fall of 2008.
Here is the link to the City’s webpage on train horn quiet zones:
http://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/quietZone.cfmFor more information please contact the City’s Engineering Department at 266-4751.
