Nearly half of all Iowa communities have railways running within their city limits. Iowa hosts more than 4,100 miles of rail freight track, served by 19 railroad companies. Three of these rail carriers are major national companies that operate 53 percent of Iowa’s total route miles, with the Union Pacific being the largest carrier, owning over 37 percent of the state’s total trackage.
The Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) recently published train horn ruling impacts every railway community in Iowa by requiring horns to sound at all intersections or by prompting communities to implement safety measures for the creation of new quiet zones to avoid horns at every intersection. This Q&A addresses questions central to the FRA’s final ruling.
Q: What is the “train horn” ruling?
A: The Final Rule on the Use of Locomotive Horn at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings, published by the FRA, took effect on June 24, 2005. This requires locomotive horns to sound at all public street-rail crossings, impacting many communities throughout the state. The ultimate intent of the ruling is to provide increased levels of safety at public railroad crossings by forcing horns to sound at all street-rail intersections, but the FRA allows for risk-based exceptions, giving communities the opportunity to establish and maintain quiet zones.
Q: How are quiet zones established?
A: To establish a new quiet zone, communities must contact the Iowa Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) Office of Rail Transportation at (515) 239-1140. The FRA also provides a web-based tool for communities to use in performing “what if” calculations to assist in preparing submissions necessary to establish a quiet zone. The tool may be found at www.fra.dot.gov. Re-establishement of a quiet zone will likely require the city to use supplementary and alternative safety measures to compensate for the loss of the train horn. A new quiet zone may be created if all public crossings along the designated rail line are equipped with conventional flashing lights and gates, and fall below a calculated average known as the National Significant Risk Threshold (NSRT), which is determined by the FRA.
Communities must either fall below the NSRT with their current safety measures or be willing to implement safety improvements to ensure compliance. Cities must be aware that supplemental safety measures can be costly and require a minimum of one-half mile of rail within city limits, making it prohibitive for many communities with budgetary limitations and distance limits. Federal funding is not available to communities for implementing safety measures, meaning all funding would come from the interested city.
Q: Where can I find more information about the final train horn rule and quiet zones?
A: Communities with questions are encouraged to visit the websites of the FRA or IDOT. Along with information concerning the final ruling, these web sites contain contact information for specific railway departments and personnel within the organizations. In addition, a Locomotive Horn Rule Seminar, sponsored by the FRA, IDOT and the Iowa League of Cities, will be held on September 14 from 9:00 a.m. – noon at the Polk County Convention Complex in conjunction with the League’s Annual Conference and Exhibit. The meeting will include presentations from the FRA and IDOT, and will include a question and answer session for any communities considering establishing new quiet zones. Communities should contact the AJ Weieneth at (515) 244-7282 or ajweieneth@iowaleague.org with any questions concerning the September 14 meeting.
Content for this Q&A was taken from the Federal Railroad Administration website: http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/1538
