RAILROADS;

You asked for general information on automated train horns at railroad-highway grade crossings including, in particular, where they may already be in use.

SUMMARY

Automated train horns are devices that are installed at railroad-highway at-grade crossings that simulate the sound of a locomotive horn. Their purpose is to replace the blowing of the locomotive’s own horn as it approaches the crossing and, theoretically, reduce the noise impact the train horn has on the areas near the crossing. Automated train horns, also known as “wayside” horns, have been under study by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) since the mid-1990s, but have not yet been approved by the FRA as an acceptable substitute for the use of locomotive-mounted horns.

Since 1994, federal legislation has required that train-borne horns or whistles be sounded while a train is approaching and entering a grade crossing except (1) if there is no significant risk to people, (2) using a horn as a warning device is not practical, or (3) “supplementary safety measures” fully compensate for the absence of the audible warning produced by the horn or whistle. Under the law, the FRA must determine what constitutes an acceptable supplementary safety measure. The FRA issued a proposed rule on this issue in January 2000 and since then has been studying the issue in anticipation of completion of a final rule sometime this Summer.

Automated train horns have been formally evaluated by, or on behalf of, the FRA in several locations—Gering, Nebraska; Ames, Iowa; Parsons, Kansas; Richardson, Texas; and, most recently, Mundelein, Illinois. The FRA has not yet determined whether they are an acceptable alternative to train-mounted horns.

FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SOUNDING TRAIN HORNS AT CROSSINGS

Sounding locomotive horns at grade crossings has been a widely used safety precaution for over a hundred years and the signal was standardized in 1938 (two long, one short, one long). However, in 1985, Florida became the first state to allow local communities to institute night-time whistle bans at crossings equipped with flashing lights, gates, and special signs. Since then, 26 other states have allowed local whistle bans under certain conditions. The FRA studied the effect of the Florida whistle ban and reported in 1990 that there was a 195% increase in vehicle-train collision rates during the hours of the bans. In 1995, FRA published another report on whistle bans throughout the country and concluded that collisions increased by 84% at crossings with whistle bans in place.

In 1994, a provision of the “Swift Rail Development Act” required that train-borne whistles or horns be sounded as trains approached and entered grade crossings unless this was not practical as a warning device, there was no significant risk to people, or there existed “supplementary safety measures” that fully compensated for the warning provided by a train horn or whistle (49 U. S. C. § 20153). Under the law, the FRA must determine what measures are sufficient to constitute an adequate replacement for sounding a train-mounted horn.

The FRA initiated its rulemaking with a proposed rule on January 13, 2000. The agency has conducted several tests and evaluations of crossing-mounted automated train horns in preparation for issuing a final rule sometime this year, but has not indicated whether the automated horns will be an acceptable supplemental measure.

AUTOMATED TRAIN HORNS

The major benefit of the automated train horn is that because it is mounted at the crossing itself instead of on the moving train, the area affected by the sound levels from the whistle or horn is significantly reduced. The sound pattern from the crossing horn is focused on the road approaches and thus covers a smaller area.

Automated train horns were first installed as part of an FRA study in 1995 at several crossings in Gering, Nebraska. In 1998, the system was installed at three crossings in Ames, Iowa and the Iowa Department of Transportation conducted a study of their performance and effectiveness. The city of Richardson, Texas evaluated them in 2001. Most recently, a federally funded study was completed in January 2003 for installations at nine crossings in Mundelein, Illinois—a suburb of Chicago.

In addition to these formal studies, the system’s manufacturer, Railroad Controls Limited, has installed the system for evaluation through agreement with several participating railroads and communities. These communities include Marysville, Parsons, and Wichita, Kansas and several locations in Oregon and California.

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