Guess we won’t have to listen. Despite several grade crossings, the Rail Runner commuter train will pass through Albuquerque at 79 miles per hour possibly without tooting its own horn.
Currently all rail trains are required to issue a warning horn as they approach railroad crossings throughout the city. Federal Railroad Administration rules published in 2005 spell out specific safety guidelines that qualify a crossing for “Quiet Zone” status and waive the horn blowing requirement.
…At a minimum, each grade crossing must be equipped with flashing lights and barrier gates, advanced warning signs and additional safety measures to compensate for the absence of the train’s horn as a warning device.
Under certain conditions, train horns can be heard several miles away from their location.
…Heinrich’s legislation will require all railroad crossings within City limits to become “Quiet Zones” within five years of the legislation’s adoption. It will also require that crossing will be upgraded to “Quiet Zone” status whenever they are scheduled for other substantial work under the city’s capital program.
NewMexiKen understands how the increase in railroad horns can affect businesses and residents. I attended college under an AFB approach and take-off zone. That said, the tracks have been there for 125 years. They’re not some new addition.
A high-speed train crossing at grade level is a serious accident waiting to happen. People violate railroad crossing warnings all the time — and this time the train will be approaching at 116 feet a second with hundreds of people on board.
(NewMexiKen is not arguing for or against the horns. I am saying that high-speed commuter trains shouldn’t cross urban streets at grade.)