Meeting_Body
REVISED
SYSTEM SAFETY, SECURITY AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
AUGUST 18, 2016
Subject/Action
SUBJECT: METROLINK BNSF LOCOMOTIVE TRAIN HORNS AND QUIET ZONES
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE a comprehensive study of communities/cities impacted by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) locomotive train horns as a response to the May 2016 Board directive.
Issue
ISSUE
At the May 19, 2016, System, Safety Security and Operations Committee meeting, Directors Najarian and Antonovich directed the CEO to create a comprehensive study of all communities/cities impacted by the BNSF locomotive train horns on the Metrolink commuter rail system and work with Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) staff to prioritize those impacted cities most in need of quiet zones (refer to Attachment A).
Discussion
DISCUSSION
BNSF Trains Horns
In late 2015, SCRRA began operating 40 leased locomotives provided by the BNSF, due to a safety concern. The locomotives emit a higher-decibel five-chime horn, which is noticeably louder than the lower Metrolink three-chime horn locomotives. SCRRA has received multiple complaints from residents in the San Gabriel Valley, in particular, about the noise from horns, and the impacts to residents' quality of life along the Metrolink San Bernardino Line.
SCRRA has conducted several community meetings and made presentations at city council meetings of affected cities in the San Gabriel Valley (see Attachment B). SCRRA has indicated that the increased train horn noise issues is a temporary condition, as the BNSF lease is for one year only, ending on November 1, 2016. SCRRA plans to return the locomotives to the BNSF as soon as possible in advance of November 1st. Additionally, SCRRA has changed some of the "push-pull" configuration of locomotives on some train sets, which has helped to reduce complaints regarding train horn noise.
Quiet Zones
In 2005, the Federal Railroad Administ...
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