The December meeting of Willamette Valley Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute featured a timely presentation by Kerry
Werner, civil engineer and project manager for the City of Eugene, on the topic
of three interrelated projects associated with the Union Pacific Railway corridor
that passes through downtown Eugene. If implemented, the projects are certain
to shape the future quality of life, development prospects, and safety of the
Whiteaker and downtown areas. Their significance in these regards cannot be
overstated.
The three potential projects are:
- Establishment of
a train horn quiet zone in the Whiteaker and downtown neighborhoods;
- Relocation of a
rail crossing at 8th and Hilyard (to enhance access to the EWEB riverfront
site); and
- Accommodations
for a new Amtrak siding west of Willamette Street (to allow Amtrak trains
to conveniently overnight in Eugene).
Prior to joining the City of
Eugene, Kerry worked for ODOT, Douglas County, and Lane County on a variety of
large, complex projects whose impact and reach called for substantial public
input. The rail-related projects definitely fall within this category. Kerry chose
the Willamette Valley Chapter to be the guinea pig for the rollout of his
presentation about them. I think our audience rewarded him with confidence he
hit the mark in terms of completeness and educational value.
Like most every issue related to
the future of Eugene, we cannot analyze anything as impactful as rail travel
through the city fabric in isolation. Too many considerations are intertwined.
Nothing is simple. Regardless, informing the public and rendering the issues
with as much clarity as possible is essential. The decisions the City makes
today will shape the future prospects of the areas the rail lines pass through
for many years to come, and it’s best if those decisions are made knowledgeably.
Kerry framed the challenge well, doing his best to simplify a set of complex
challenges. For the further sake of brevity, I’ll focus my blog post on only one
of the three projects Kerry described—the City’s consideration of a train horn
quiet zone.
Silencing the Train Horns
The
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Congress enacted the Train Horn Rule in 2005 to
improve safety at railway crossings. Under the rule, locomotive engineers must begin to sound train horns
at least 15 seconds, and no more than 20 seconds, in advance of all public at-grade
crossings. The horns must be sounded in a standardized pattern of 2 long blasts,
1 short blast, and an additional long blast following the short one. 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.
The maximum volume level for the train
horn is 110 decibels measured 100 feet in front of the train. The minimum sound
level is 96 decibels. Therein lays the issue: 96 to 110 decibels is loud, and
with 23 Union Pacific and Amtrak trains traveling through Eugene each day and
night, the blare of the horns impacts the quality of life for nearby residents and
the potential for desirable developments flanking the rail corridor.
The FRA rule does provide an opportunity
for localities nationwide to mitigate the effects of train horn noise by
establishing “quiet zones.” In a quiet zone (QZ), trains must cease the routine
sounding of their horns when approaching public street at-grade crossings of railroad tracks
(however, they may use their horns in emergency situations or to comply with
other Federal regulations or operating rules). As Kerry explained, the
City of Eugene chose to explore the potential of establishing a quiet zone in
response to calls from the public and also because of the City’s own desire to
make the neighborhoods along the rail corridor as attractive as possible to vibrant,
high-value future developments (the EWEB riverfront site being the most obvious
case in point).
There are 15 major public, at-grade rail
crossings (and 13 additional minor crossings) within Eugene’s urban growth boundary.
Because of their proximity to one another and to the most significantly
impacted neighborhoods, Kerry said the City has included ten contiguous
crossings in its QZ study (see the map above). According
to the FRA rule, any new quiet zone must be a
minimum of one-half mile in length, so the incorporation of the ten crossings
easily meets this criterion.
In order to create an FRA-sanctioned QZ
the City must follow a Quiet Zone Establishment Process. This process includes initiating
a feasibility study, collecting data, conducting a Quiet Zone Risk Index
Calculation, identifying funding sources, and designing and implementing supplemental
safety improvements. Accordingly, the City formed a diagnostic
team with the FRA, the railroad
companies (which besides Union Pacific and Amtrak also include Portland & Western and the Coos Bay Rail Link), and ODOT’s Rail Division to assess the risk of a train-vehicle collision at each grade
crossing within the proposed QZ.
The diagnostic team is
collecting vehicle traffic counts at the various crossings and analyzing their
physical characteristics, including existing safety devices. In order to secure
FRA approval of a new QZ, the City will have to implement engineered,
supplemental safety measures (SSMs) at the crossings under consideration to
reduce the risk of train-vehicle collisions. Kerry enumerated these specific,
acceptable measures:
- Permanently closing a crossing to
vehicle traffic;
- Providing raised medians on one both
sides of the railroad tracks to prevent motorists from driving around
lowered crossing gates;
- Converting two-way streets to one-way
travel; and
- Installing 4-quadrant gates.
A quad-gate crossing
When an SSM is not possible at a particular crossing, the
FRA will consider the use of an Alternative Safety Measures (ASM). An ASM may
be a SSM with only slight changes from the strict guidelines provided by the
FRA. The FRA must approve any ASM before construction begins, whereas the
prescribed SSMs do not require prior approval.
The safety modifications (SSMs or ASMs) will impact all
forms of transportation: cars, bicycles, and pedestrians at each of the
crossings within the QZ. How they also impact access to the properties and
neighborhoods on either side of the crossings is a key consideration. The City
definitely wishes to minimize the potential for harming their well-being.
All of the agencies involved
in the process must agree to the results of the analysis, proposed means of
funding, and implementation plans; however, the FRA ultimately has the authority
to approve/disapprove the implementation of the quiet zone. The QZ process,
from initiation to establishment, can take 12 to 24 months. Notably, there are
already over 600 quiet zones across the country, including in Portland and
Salem.
The City estimates the cost of implementing the SSMs at
the ten crossings within the proposed QZ to be in the millions of dollars. The
cost of a single quad-crossing alone ranges between $750,000 and $1 million;
add to that $9,000 per year in maintenance costs and it’s clear establishing a QZ
will not come cheaply.
Fundamentally, whether or not the City’s
continues its steps toward a QZ will be contingent upon weighing the associated
benefits and risks. Silencing the train horns would eliminate a source of undue stress and
sleep-disturbance, which affects the productivity and mental
well-being of many Eugene residents. Silencing the horns would also significantly
enhance the attractiveness of the properties alongside the tracks, most notably
those within the historic core of the city. Without a QZ, it’s questionable whether
developers would be willing to invest in those locations and bring the density
and mix of uses the City wants to see. At stake is the potential for increased
property tax revenue and employment associated with desirable new developments.
On the other hand, it’s difficult to place a value upon a person’s life. If
implementing a QZ results in a statistically significant increase in fatalities
or injuries, it will certainly not have been worth the cost and would likely
necessitate its rescinding.(1)
As someone
who grew up near railroad tracks, I used to equate the sounding of train horns
with the hustle and bustle of commerce: people on the move and delivering
freight, doing the work of a prosperous nation. Their signaling induces
nostalgia for a time when the railways served as the essential backbone for the
country. Regardless, I fully understand the reasons why silencing them is
desirable. I’m interested to see if implementing a quiet zone in Eugene comes
to pass and if the hoped-for benefits materialize.
Big thanks
to Kerry for providing a thorough description of the pros and cons, and process of implementing
a train horn quiet zone in Eugene!
(1)
Kerry said there were 178 fatalities and 697 injuries nationwide
last year associated with rail crossing accidents. Eugene has seen 2 pedestrian
fatalities and 2 pedestrian injuries since 2010, but none associated with
vehicle/train conflicts.
