What is a Railroad Quiet Zone?

Railroad Quiet Zone Requirements

This outline is based on the information and requirements for the creation of Quiet Zones as outlined in the Final Rule on the Use of Locomotive Horns at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings, published in the Federal Register of April 27, 2005. The effective date of the Final Rule is June 24, 2005.

In the Final Rule the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued regulations that specify when trains must sound a locomotive horn while approaching and entering public crossings, and provides exceptions to that requirement. This enables communities to create Quiet Zones, in which locomotive horns are not routinely sounded at grade crossings, thereby improving the quality of life by permitting the silencing of locomotive horns at grade crossings while still ensuring that safety is maintained at those crossings.

State laws and local ordinances, which govern the sounding of locomotive horns at public highway-rail grade crossings, were preempted by this Rule when it became effective June 24, 2005.

A Quiet Zone is a section of a rail line that contains one or more consecutive public crossings at which locomotive horns are not routinely sounded. The FRA rule describes the requirements that communities must meet in order to implement a Quiet Zone.

The public entities that are responsible for the traffic control and law enforcement at public highway-rail grade crossings are the only ones that can designate or apply for a Quiet Zone. Private companies, citizens or neighborhood associations are not able to create a Quiet Zone independent of local authorities.

Although the railroads cannot prohibit the establishment of a Quiet Zone, railroads must play a role in establishing Quiet Zones. Railroad assistance is necessary for installation of Supplementary Safety Measures and providing updated information for the National Grade Crossing Inventory. The FRA expects railroads to continue to cooperate with local and state authorities for the installation of grade crossing safety improvements. Quiet Zones do not impair any authority available under state law for a state agency to order installation of those improvements.

New Quiet Zones must have active grade crossing warning devices, consisting of flashing lights, gates, constant warning circuitry and power off indicators at all public highway-rail grade crossings. Each highway approach to every public and private grade crossing within a new Quiet Zone must have an advance warning sign that advises motorists that train horns are not sounded at the crossing. A minimum Quiet Zone length of at least ½ mile must be provided along the length of railroad right-of-way.

The following Supplemental Safety Measures (SSMs) may be used to mitigate the silencing of locomotive horns at railroad at-grade crossings:

1. Permanent or temporary closure (night time closure 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.)
2. Four-quadrant gate systems
3. Gates with medians or channelization devices (traffic separators)
4. Conversion of a two-way street to a one-way street

Wayside horns may be used in place of locomotive horns at individual or multiple at-grade crossings, including those within Quiet Zones. The wayside horn is a stationary horn located at a highway-rail grade crossing, designed to provide audible warning to oncoming motorists of the approach of a train. The wayside horn is considered a one-for-one substitute for the train horn. The crossing must be equipped with flashing lights, gates, constant warning circuitry and power off indicators. FHWA has provided interim approval of the wayside horn pursuant to the MUTCD.

Alternative Safety Measures (ASMs) may also be proposed to FRA for their consideration and approval. For example, a median barrier that is shorter than the required length would be a modified SSM, and would therefore be considered an ASM. SSMs are recognized measures not requiring further review and approval from FRA. Other ASMs include such things as enhanced education and enforcement programs, commonly referred to as Non-Engineering ASMs. All ASMs, however, must receive written FRA approval prior to the silencing of train horns and are subject to annual review. Public Agencies are advised to consider SSMs and wayside horns for the development of the Quiet Zones along the rail corridors in their communities.

2.1 Creating a New Quiet Zone Using SSMs

The following information is provided on the FRA website under Guidance on the Quiet Zone Creation Process. The flow chart developed by the FRA outlining this process has been included labeled Chart 2, for implementing SSMs or installation of wayside horns, which allows the establishment of a Quiet Zone through public authority designation. The guidelines for establishing a Quiet Zone through the implementation of SSMs are as follows:

1. Select the crossings to be included in the New Quiet Zone.
2. A Quiet Zone may include highway-rail grade crossings on a segment of rail line crossing more than one political jurisdiction, or there may be roads within a particular area that are the responsibility of different entities (State or county roads within a town, for example). If the selected crossings are the responsibility of more than one entity, obtain the cooperation of all relevant jurisdictions.
3. A New Quiet Zone must be at least ½ mile in length along the railroad tracks.
4. A New Quiet Zone must have, at a minimum, flashing lights and gates in place at each public crossing. These must be equipped with constant warning time devices where reasonably practical, and power out indicators. Any necessary upgrades must be completed before calculating risk for the Quiet Zone.
5. Are there any private crossings within the proposed Quiet Zone? If any private crossings allow access to the public or provide access to active industrial or commercial sites, the public authority must conduct a diagnostic team review of those crossings. Following the diagnostic review, the public authority must comply with the diagnostic team's recommendations concerning those crossings.
6. Update the USDOT Grade Crossing Inventory Form to reflect conditions at each public and private crossing; this update should be complete, accurate, and dated within 6 months prior to the Quiet Zone implementation.
7. If every public crossing in the proposed Quiet Zone is equipped with one or more SSM, the Quiet Zone can be established through public authority designation by completing the following steps:
   1. Install required signage at each crossing. (Refer to rule sections 222.25 and 222.35 for details.)
   2. Update the National Grade Crossing Inventory to reflect current conditions at each public and private crossing within the Quiet Zone.
   3. Notify the parties listed in the rule of the intent to create a New Quiet Zone. Allow a 60-day comment period (Refer to rule section 222.43 for details.)
   4. Periodic updates, including updated USDOT Grade Crossing Inventory Forms, must be submitted to FRA every 4.5-5 years. (Refer to rule section 222.47 for details.)

A Diagnostic Team Review should be conducted at each of the crossings in the proposed Quiet Zones with representatives of the railroad involved, the City, the State Railroad Liaison, the FRA, and the consultant team. The Diagnostic Review notes the appropriate improvements for each crossing to be considered in a Quiet Zone.