Train Quiet Zone

Lone Star Rail District Suspends Work on Environmental Statement

2016-08-08T00:00:00-05:00

According to the Lone Star Rail web site (read here), they have suspended work on the Enviromental Impact Statement.

Having lost the cooperation of Union Pacific for passenger rail traffic and support of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the project may not recover. We have been tracking this project since if implemented it could have reduced freight train traffic (and horns) through the city. They may work out another solution with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and TxDOT.

TxDOT has a project statement posted at http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/statewide/lone-star-rail.html.

News Articles

Councilman Warrick Needs Support

2016-05-04T00:00:00-05:00

The next step for this Quiet Zone is approving a "Feasibility Study". The QZ is located in District 2 so Councilman Alan E. Warrick, II must make the request.

We need you to ask your City Council members to support Councilman Warrick to get the study started.

The study will give concrete answers about any impact to safety, equipment changes required, estimated costs, and timeline.

Meeting Diego Bernal

2016-02-25T00:00:00-06:00

Last night we had a meeting about San Antonio Quiet Zones with Representative Diego Bernal for District 123. His office is just south of the North Star Mall and he keeps evening office hours to be available after work.

During the meeting, Mr. Bernal made it very clear that he supports the creation of San Antionio Quiet Zones. He understands the tremendous boost to the quality of life our citizens receive from them. That sentiment was refreshing to hear as we continue the long, muddy climb up this bureaucratic mountain. He even provided some contacts to help out.

Our main take-away is to focus on getting Union Pacific to tell us if the Quiet Zone we are seeking is possbile, first. Determine if there are issues with the specific crossings and see if they can be addressed. With that information, the city can be approached to initiate the official steps of establishing a Quiet Zone. Once we can establish that a quiet zone is possible, then funding can be secured. This is a different approach. Our interactions have only been with the city.

It was a good meeting, gave a new direction, and helped re-energize.

Thank you Representative Bernal!

Our Quiet Zone is Stuck

2015-12-27T00:00:00-06:00

We are stuck for the following reason:

There are driveways (mostly industrial) within 100ft of almost every intersection between Florida and Iowa. In order to get a quiet zone instituted, you generally need to place a 100ft long median (sometimes can be reduced to 60ft) at each entrance to the rail intersection. However, if there is a driveway near the tracks, especially an industrial driveway that needs to provide access to large vehicles, this makes the median impossible.

The only way to get around this is to install "wayside horns" at each intersection where a median is not possible (5 total). These are small horns installed at the intersection that honk directly at incoming traffic. This means only nearby cars and neighbors hear it as opposed to the sound traveling for miles. Cost estimate is approximately $60,000 -$125,000 per intersection.

If we get funding for this, it would take at least 3 years to get the medians, install wayside horns, and apply for a quiet zone.

The other issue to consider is that the Lone Star Rail project has plans to reroute Union Pacific. However, it is not clear if this affects our noisy trains, and how long this project will take.

Less Train Horns Please

2015-07-29T00:00:00-05:00

First Step

Our first goal is to make residents of Lavaca, Hoefgen, King William, Downtown, Lone Star, Alamodome Gardens, Dignowity Hill and Denver Heights aware of how a Quiet Zone can be created for their benefit. Gathering their support will help get the process started with the city.

Railroad Crossings

Not Quiet Quiet Quiet Someday Closed

Crossings marked in red are those that are not in a Quiet Zone today. They're in a piece of the city that has been overlooked yet still home of the AlamoDome.

The crossings east of 37 are especially noisy. They do not have much vehicle traffic but engineers must sound their horns when approaching a public grade crossing. With these crossings only a few hundred feet apart, engineers can sound six sets of blasts a few seconds apart. If the engineers followed the Train Horn Rule to the letter, it would be even noisier.

Under the Train Horn Rule (49 CFR Part 222), locomotive engineers must begin to sound train horns at least 15 seconds, and no more than 20 seconds, in advance of all public grade crossings.

...

Train horns must be sounded in a standardized pattern of 2 long, 1 short and 1 long blast. The pattern must be repeated or prolonged until the lead locomotive or lead cab car occupies the grade crossing. The rule does not stipulate the durations of long and short blasts.

FRA Train Horn Rule

We Need a New Quiet Zone

To address train horn noise pollution, the Federal Railroad Administration has provided a provision for localities to setup Quiet Zones.

In a quiet zone, railroads have been directed to cease the routine sounding their horns when approaching public highway-rail grade crossings. Train horns may still be used in emergency situations or to comply with other Federal regulations or railroad operating rules.

The Train Horn Rule and Quiet Zones

Quiet Zones do not guarantee train silence. In the event of an emergency, such as the sight of vehicles, pedestrians or animals on the railroad tracks, Union Pacific engineers are legally obligated to blow the horn in order to warn the obstruction.

Eleven Quiet Zones have been successfully created in San Antonio. It takes time to collect accurate data and implement gates or medians to ensure crossing safety standards but improving our neighborhoods is worth it.

Please take a minute to sign the petition and subscribe to our newsletter.

Quiet Zone Map

2015-07-17T00:00:00-05:00

To prepare for the meeting with Neighborhood association representatives, we created a Google Map of railroad crossings. One of the goals is to review crossings to include in a new Quiet Zone for San Antonio.

SA Quiet Zone Map on Google Maps

Crossings Included

Pine Crossing 764366Y
Hackberry Crossing 764367F
Iowa Crossing 764383P
Virginia Crossing 764384W
Indiana Crossing 764385D
Delaware Crossing 764289B
Florida Crossing 764290V
Carolina Crossing 764291C
Hoefgen/Essex Crossing 764292J (Closed)
Hoefgen/W Boyer Crossing 415638X
Probandt Crossing 764349H

To help collect information for the map, Selsa found an app, Rail Crossing Locator, from the Federal Railroad Administration. They have verisons for iOS and Android devices.

We've added a permanent Map page on our site here.

Hoefgen@Essex Closure Status

2015-06-04T00:00:00-05:00

Planning Commission

Earlier this year (2/25/2015) we attended a Planning Commission session to discuss the closing of the Hoefgen/Essex street due to the railroad crossing. In that meeting we learned that even the Union Pacific Railroad was in favor of the closure since it is rated as the most dangerous crossing in Texas due to the number of collisions and near misses on record.

City Council

The recommendation was then turned over to the City Council for a vote on May 21, 2015 (View Meeting Minutes). By looking at page 22 Vote Slips a unanimous decision was recorded. Visiting the file detail 15-1798, attachment #4 contains Ordinance 2015-05-21-0438.

The closure at Hoefgen and Essex is official!

This is important because part of getting the QZ approved requires each crossing to fall below a certain risk level. The level is lowered by adding gates or alternate safety measures. The crossing at Hoefgen/Essex would be terribly expensive to implement, as in regrading of the crossing, rerouting runoff water, etc...(millions of dollars) mainly because the road crosses two sets of tracks at an angle instead of perpendicular.

Closing the crossing costs the city ZERO dollars but does cause issues for some neighbors who now have to find new routes to get to their homes or highways. We'd like to thank them for their understanding and agreeing to make changes to improve our neighborhood.

Now what?

We're not sure of the status of the Quiet Zone. We need to figure out who can tell us that and send out an update when we know. Hopefully, they have the data to support our QZ so they can now implement safety measures and start the approval process.

Close That Crossing!

2015-02-14T00:00:00-06:00

Last September (2014) San Antonio was able to block the railroad crossing at Hoefgen and Essex by taking emergency measures. Read more at KSAT News.

When researching how to establish a Quiet Zone in our neighborhood, the Federal Railroad Administration indicated this is the same crossing that would need the most attention. Instead of investing in expensive gates and warning systems, it looks like the city has found a cheaper solution by closing the crossing permanently.

Crossing Location

The City Needs our Help

On Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 2:00pm there is a Public Hearing for the Planning Commission in the Development and Business Services Center, 1901 S. Alamo St.

On Thursday, March 19, 2015 at 9:00am there is a City Council Public Hearing in the Municipal Plaza Building, 114 W. Commerce St.

Please attend these meetings so we can help the city close this crossing and get closer to a Quiet Zone!

Lone Star Rail Public Meeting

2015-01-20T00:00:00-06:00

Tonight we attended a public scoping meeting to learn more about the Lone Star Rail District project. These meetings were held in meetings in 6 locations (Austin, Elgin, Georgetown, San Antonio, San Marcos, Seguin). Their main focus is providing passenger rail service between Austin and San Antonio. Representatives were giving shorts presentations on various topics, reviewing a map of the plan, and running online surveys.

The idea of riding a train up to Austin and missing all the traffic on I-35 is very compelling. It's the side effect of re-directing freight trains that should interest fans of Quiet Zones and gain their support. To handle passenger trains set schedules, freight traffic would be moved to tracks east between Taylor and Seguin where they will also be able to increase their speeds. To learn more, please visit LStar - Freight Rail Relocation Page.

To support this project, Lone Star Rail is seeking your input, questions, and comments.

Finding Local Contacts

2014-06-05T00:00:00-05:00

As recommended by the Federal Railroad Administration, we have been tracking down local contacts for Quiet Zones.

Yesterday, we spoke with the man who helped establish the QZ for Olmos Park. Some things we learned:

QZ took 3 years to establish.
Traffic Study by the city was $70,000 - they raised half through donations
Security Measures vary from a $400K Quad Crossing Gate down to a small concrete channelization median, 60-80ft, for $10-15K.
A QZ map doesn't exist online. Signs posted for "No Train Horns" could be looked for.
Railroads never disclose freight train schedules for security. They talk in trains per day at a crossing.
The best city contact is the Transportation & Capital Improvements - Street & Traffic Division

After researching names and email addresses, we made contact with Amer Gilani, a senior engineer.

A Quiet Zone for our area has been attempted.The main issues are south of us at the Hoefgen crossings north of Essex and north of W Boyer (View Google Maps). One crossing only has warning lights, not gates, so their current solution is to close the street. Since this is an industrial area those businesses have been vocally opposing the change and effectively blocked the Quiet Zone.

Changing tact, the Street & Traffic Division are taking a safety angle. There are more accidents at that intersection so it should be closed. This includes the newsworthy one just weeks ago (May 3, 2014) where Train slams into quinceañera-bound limo. The city agreed so closing that street now goes back up for review.

When asked what needs to be done to help establish this QZ? Doesn't it need funding? No, they have money. They need community support. People need to attend the meetings to show that they support the closing. If the street is closed, a QZ could be activated in 6-12 months!

(If this fails, money will come up because the least impacting solution is adding a quad gate at the crossing for $400,000+.)

Quiet Zone - A Slow Process

2014-06-01T00:00:00-05:00

Obviously, since a Quiet Zone is not in place it cannot be easy to implement nor can we be the first to suggest it. We will annoy someone for being new kids in the neighborhood. It would still be worth it so full steam ahead!

Now What?

After playing with Quiet Zone Calculator and some Scenarios, it brought up some questions that we sent to the FRA.

Can an existing Quiet Zone be extended? Is that easier than establishing a new QZ?
Looking at the data in the QZ Calculator, can a QZ for Delaware St, Carolina St and Florida St be auto-approved?
If there is a sidewalk at the crossing, do any safety measures need implemented?
If we add the Hoefgen crossing to the proposed QZ, can it be approved if SSM 12 is implemented?
Is it better to establish the smallest QZ needed or largest one possible? For example, a QZ spanning Southtown and the three city districts would impact more residents than just the section near our building.
What are the next steps for a Quiet Zone?
Who can issue the Notice of Intent?
What does the City of San Antonio need to do?

Shining a Light

We've received a response from the FRA. We're impressed! Less than 24hrs.

A detailed and helpful response was sent from a Staff Director of Crossing Safety & Trespass Prevention Division. All of our questions weren't answered but there was good information.

Speedbump #1

The Quiet Zone Calculator uses data from the national crossing inventory in its calculations. This information may or may not be current so I cannot say with any accuracy that the existing conditions would enable a quiet zone to be established. This is one reason that one of the requirements to establish a quiet zone is that the public authority must provide and accurate crossing inventory for each crossing in the quiet zone.

We expected something like this since we couldn't possibly verify the data presented in the QZ Calculator. We're hoping a "public authority" has already been collecting the data to avoid a lengthy delay. Citizens here (District 5) and in other cities have waited years for the establishment of Quiet Zones.

From articles we've read, the process seems designed to be slow. Then the decision gets bounced between various stakeholder groups who disagree. The FRA wants to collect enough real data to make informed safety decisions. Train executives don't want sued for accidents. Train Engineers want horns so they never hit anyone. Cities don't want expense of new train gates and crossing maintenance. Residents want to live without horns but don't want to pay for it or let roads be closed, which is often the cheapest way get a QZ. Many will say "you get used to it", "just move if you can't handle it" and "you knew there was a train, right?".

Speedbump #2

...the Essex Street/Hoefgen Avenue intersection appears to be within 60 feet of the crossing's warning devices. If this is true, the mountable traffic channelization devices you mentioned could not be used a Supplemental Safety Measures. This does not mean that they channelization devices cannot be used. It does mean that they would become Alternative Safety Measures and the city would have to make an application to FRA for approval of the quiet zone. The values provided by the Quiet Zone Calculator are only valid when only Supplemental Safety Measures are used.

This issue sounds manageable. Seems like these are not rules but guidelines to be examined for each situation. The QZ we're looking at has the advantage that most of the crossings have very low traffic which is a major factor in the risk calculations.

Speedbump #3

...there appear to be nearby crossings (S. Presa Street and Carolina Street) that are closer than 1/4 of a mile which prevent the establishment of a quiet zone.

This refers to the Hoefgen crossing. Carolina is to the north of Hoefgen. South Pressa is to the southwest but across the 281/37 highway. The tracks here are a concern because they form a large 90 degree turn so trains could sneak up on you.

The 1/4 mile guideline is some logic they could add to the QZ Calculator. We were looking for the cheapest Supplemental Safety Measure. There are many SSM options. We also need to review and photograph the crossings. There is a safety difference between an at-grade or grade-separated crossing and it is unclear is the QZ Calculator makes the distinction.

Speedbump #4

...(we) recommend that you communicate your desire to have a quiet zone established to the city. San Antonio has established a number of quiet zones in the city and is familiar with the process.

Hand-off. OK. We'll try harder locally. NIMBY means NOISE In My Backyard for this project.

To Do

Find the best Quiet Zone contact with the city. (It is probably not the Mayor or the City Council right now.)
Find interested citizens/groups and see what they've learned.

Starting with the City

2014-05-29T00:00:00-05:00

City Level

Our business is moving to a building in City Council District 2 on the railroad tracks. Our first attempt to understand Quiet Zones was emailing our representative's office and inquiring about them. What zones are in place? Are there any in process? How do we add a new one?

They must be compiling a tremendous amount of information for us since we haven't gotten a reply in over three weeks.

Googling around we found the SA Public Works web site. They have a page on Quiet Zones but it has little detail and is a dead end. Their site does have a Service Request System but there is nothing directly related to Quiet Zones. Instead, we submitted a request to have "No Train Horn" signs installed on all the relevant railroad crossings south of the Alamo Dome to 37 South. Maybe someone will respond to that, but they say it may take three weeks for a response. We'll be denied but maybe we can get a conversation going.

Go Federal

Not much luck with the city so far so time to jump the chain of command. The Federal Railroad Administration is in charge. Searching there we found the Guide to the Quiet Zone Establishment Process. It gives a nice overview of train horn history and...

7 Steps to Establish a Quiet Zone

1. Determine which crossings to include

We are interested in all crossings South of the Alamo Dome to the 37 overpass. There are a lot more crossings that want to be in Quiet Zones that span multiple city districts but that seems like an advanced move. Let's try the simplest thing that works for us first.

2. Identify private crossings

None where we are looking.

3. Identify pedestrian crossings

There are sidewalks along most of these crossings.

4. Update the US DOT Crossing Inventory

Using the 8.01 - Query by Location form we looked up Carolina, Delaware, Florida and Hoefgen crossing data, which all looked accurate.

5. Provide a Notice of Intent

We're not sure we can do this so we'll skip this for now

6. Alternative Safety Measures

Again something we need help with but we'll do the homework for this

7. Determine how the Quiet Zone will be established

This step links to a web-based QZ Calculator.

Using the Quiet Zone Calculator

First we create a login. To create a New Zone, we add a Name and Zone Type (New 24-hour QZ). A search form helps us add the Union Pacific San Antonio crossings to our zone. The Crossings have a unique ID number, Milepost, Type and Street and are listed in the order they occur on the track. Google Maps let us look up all the crossings we are interested in from Alamo Dome to 37.

Crossings we add:

Crossing ID	Mile	Type	Street
764289B	0210.20	PUB	Delaware St
764290V	0210.29	PUB	Florida St
764291C	0210.38	PUB	Carolina St
764292J	0210.54	PUB	Hoefgen St

Then we need to update and verify each of the crossing's information. For example:

764289B DELAWARE ST
Present warn device:	Highway Signals
Number of highway vehicles per day:	000360
Total trains:	28
Day through trains :	14
Total Switching Trains :	0
Number of main tracks:	2
Number of other tracks:	1
Urban(U.)/Rural(R.):	U.Local
Highways paved:	Yes
Maximum timetable speed mph:	25
Number of highway lanes:	2
Number of years accident data:	5
Number of accidents in accident data years:	0
Wayside horn:	No
Pre-Existing SSM:	No

Most of this information is pre-populated and we don't know whether it is accurate or not. For Delaware we do correct the Present Warn Device because it actually has Gates with flashing lights and warning bells. Once the crossings are verified we proceed to our new scenario. The table at the top is what is important with the Risk value the most critical.

Crossing	Street	Traffic	Warning Device	Risk
764289B	DELAWARE ST	360	Gates	11,922.58
764290V	FLORIDA ST	2000	Gates	20,579.09
764291C	CAROLINA ST	2290	Gates	22,829.40
764292J	HOEFGEN ST	890	Gates	166,074.38

The Nationwide Risk number is 14347 and Risk with Horns is 33184.27. We read this to mean that if all the crossings in the proposed Quiet Zone are less than 33184.27, the zone can be automatically approved. If the risk is above that number, then Supplementary Safety Measure (SSM) must be addressed. For our zone, the Hoefgen Street Crossing with a risk of 166,074.38 needs help.

By modifying a crossing's SSM, the Risk number is re-calculated and an estimated cost is listed. We go through each SSM option and watch the effects to risk and cost.

SSM Options

1	Temporary Closure of a Public Highway-Rail Grade Crossing
2	Permanent Closure of a Public Highway-Rail Grade Crossing
3	Grade Separation of a Public Highway-Rail Grade Crossing
4	Four-Quadrant Gates Upgrade from Two Quadrant gates, No Vehicle Presence Detection
5	Four-Quadrant Gates Upgrade from Two Quadrant Gates, with medians and no Vehicle Presence Detection
6	Four-Quadrant Gates Upgrade from Two Quadrant Gates, with Vehicle Presence Detection
7	Four-Quadrant Gates Upgrade from Two Quadrant Gates, with medians and Vehicle Presence Detection
8	Four-Quadrant Gates New Installation, No Vehicle Presence Detection
9	Four-Quadrant Gates New Installation with medians and no Vehicle Presence Detection
10	Four-Quadrant Gates New Installation with Vehicle Presence Detection
11	Four-Quadrant Gates New Installation with medians and Vehicle Presence Detection
12	Mountable medians with Reflective Traffic Channelization Devices
13	Non-Traversable Curb Medians with or without Channelization Devices
14	One-Way Streets with Gates

After cycling through the options, the cheapest option we found was using "12 Mountable medians with Reflective Traffic Channelization Devices". This is a system of rounded urethane curbs that have tubes or reflective panels mounted in them to prevent cars from driving around the train gates. The estimated cost is $13,000 and Risk Index for Hoefgen drops to 41,518.60!

What does this mean?

We're not sure. We think if we can figure out how to get the Hoefgen crossing street modified, the Risk Index for the entire Zone would drop to 55,351.36 (which is less than 2 x Risk Index of Horns or 66,368.54) so it should be possible to get the Quiet Zone approved.

We have emailed the Federal Railroad Administration to see who can review our Quiet Zone report and confirm the possibility.

UPDATE: The FRA has already replied and is putting us in contact with two people for QZ guidance.

So Loud You Can't Get Used To This

2014-05-21T00:00:00-05:00

I like loud car stereos, loud festivals, loud parties, loud machines. I have trained myself to focus regardless of the surroundings and can watch an episode on Hulu not hearing a word you are saying to me. I am not afraid of loud. So far I have no hearing damage. (I do use earplugs as needed.)

Recently, I have found myself in a situation that is finally too loud. Train horns. Point blank train horns are LOUD. The building we will be moving our lab to is ON (as in 15ft from) a double set of active Union Pacific railroad tracks. (Yes, we were very aware of the trains when we selected the building. The trains impact the property value for the area.) To add to the stress, freight trains do not run on set schedules so planning around them is out.

What Problem Are We Trying to Solve?

Trains create noise while running. There are loud noises when a stopped train resumes as the car connections reengage. Trains vibrate the ground. Train wheels squeak. Train gates ring bells when active. All those are manageable noises that fade into the background.

The real train noise problem is from the horns. They can be heard for miles. They are supposed to warn everyone that a train is coming because they can't really stop. With 90 to 120 cars, a freight train can be a mile long. It can take at least that distance to stop even when the emergency brake is applied.

The Future

Looking at the data for Texas from Union Pacific, we see train traffic is increasing. It is likely to do so as fuel prices increase and more goods are produced. Trains are incredibly efficient and able to move massive amounts of weight.

Rail Cars Originated in Texas

2009	1,004,422
2010	1,117,415
2011	1,136,020
2012	1,225,430
2013	1,257,341

Rail Cars Terminated in Texas

2009	998,698
2010	1,177,649
2011	1,272,543
2012	1,306,621
2013	1,365,152

What can we do to lower train horn noise?

The most direct solution is establishing a Quiet Zone. We'll look into this path first.

If we can't stop it at the source, the more creative solutions are active noise cancellation, sound dampening techniques, and other exotic additions to the building itself.

We need some actual data. Teaching a Raspberry Pi to tweet a picture of a passing train every time it blows the horn would help illustrate the situation.