Quiet zone rescinded at Hero Way crossing

Drivers and residents near the railroad crossing on Hero Way near US 183 in Leander can hear train horns sounding again after the Federal Railroad Administration rescinded the crossing’s quiet zone policy Feb. 12. The FRA’s notice came after the agency conducted an audit and could not locate documents that showed the Hero Way crossing met federal qualifications for a quiet zone, said Melvin Clark, vice president of rail operations with Capital Metro. Capital Metro supervises operations on the railroad, including freight and commuter trains. City of Leander staffers said the city has received dozens of calls asking about the noise. City Engineer Wayne Watts said Capital Metro notified the city of the revoked quiet zone minutes before the train horns sounded at about 4 p.m. on Feb. 12. “I doubt [Capital] Metro had much more warning than that,” Watts said. “They’ll continue to [sound horns] until a quiet zone is re-established.” Federal approval for a restored quiet zone may not come until later in the year, he said. A quiet zone allows train engineers to forego using their horns as they approach intersections with public roadways. Engineers can still sound horns in quiet zones if they see a person, vehicle or other hazards blocking the railroad crossing, Clark said. A municipality is required to apply to the FRA for authority to establish a quiet zone, Clark said. In 2014 the city sent the FRA the documentation required to establish the quiet zone at Hero Way, Watts said. During a required 81-day waiting period the FRA did not object to the quiet zone being established in March 2014, he said. For about a year the Hero Way quiet zone helped nearby houses and businesses, Watts said. “It’s been a great relief for nearby residents,” Watts said. “Particularly when you have the freight train going through the city at 3 [a.m.].” Clark said 16 commuter trains are scheduled to pass through Leander daily on Mondays through Thursdays. On Fridays, 28 commuter trains pass through the city, but on Saturdays and Sundays no commuter trains run, Clark said. Depending on freight traffic, freight trains cross Leander four to eight times a day. The tourist train run by Cedar Park–based Austin Steam Train Association runs through the city on Saturdays, he said. Clark said some Leander residents have called Capital Metro and questioned whether safety concerns at the intersection resulted in the FRA revoking the quiet zone. “This [change] is not because the crossing’s not safe,” Clark said. “It’s saying the crossing does not meet the requirements for a quiet zone.” Watts said trains sound horns at two other Leander crossings, north US 183 and the Capital Metro Park & Ride station. City staffers are working with Capital Metro to get approval for another quiet zone at Hero Way. Watts said the city hopes to receive FRA approval for a grace period to re-establish the previous quiet zone soon. That would serve as a temporary measure until the city and Capital Metro can install an required new crossing arm at the Hero Way crossing and pursue FRA approval for a new quiet zone. The city would apply to establish a different classification of railroad crossing called a supplemental safety measure. Watts said the new application could gain quicker FRA approval than the slower process required to establish a zone based on the crossing’s previous classification of an alternative safety measure. Watts said the new crossing arm could cost the city $70,000. Over a period of months, Capital Metro would install the arm. Then the city would refile its documentation with FRA and would need to wait a minimum of 81 days for approval, he said. “It’s a shame that we don’t have some way of getting [the quiet zone] into effect in a matter of days or weeks as opposed to a matter of months,” Watts said. “Our citizens have had relief from [train horns] for some time.”