CLEVELAND, March 24 — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen North Dakota State Legislative Board is working to create a special fund that would help cities fund railroad quiet zones in North Dakota.
Mike Muscha, Chairman of the North Dakota State Legislative Board, is working on the legislation with leaders of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED), United Transportation Union (UTU) and legislative leaders in the North Dakota Senate and House of Representatives.
The result of work with the North Dakota Senate is SB 2338, a bill that would take the 4 cents per gallon fuel tax that railroads pay and use the money to help cities construct quiet zones. The Senate recently passed SB 2338 and the BLET, BMWED and UTU are now working with the House appropriations committee and preparing for a House floor vote.
The bill is designed so that one city cannot use all the funds, and limits a city to five crossings and up to $100,000 each.
“You could say that labor does not have a dog in this fight, but yes, we do,” said Chairman Muscha. “Quiet zones have proven that they save lives and reduce the trauma that train crews face on a grade crossing crash or fatality.”
Muscha said that the city of Fargo, N.D., has not had a single fatality since a quiet zone was recently installed.
“In the industry today, safety is priority number one. Fargo is a prime example,” Muscha said. “I believe the money generated by the 4 cent fuel tax from the railroads should be used for grade crossing safety.”
Loud trains have hurt the economy in some North Dakota towns. Owners of restaurants complain that loud train horns interrupt customer meals, and hotel owners say guests complain about the noise and won’t stay overnight in the future.
A quiet zone is a railroad grade crossing at which trains are prohibited from sounding their horns in order to decrease the noise level for nearby residential communities. The train horns can be silenced only when other safety measures compensate for the absence of the horns, such as four-quadrant gates, extra wayside horns, and additional active warning systems.
Muscha said the BLET first began lobbying for the quiet zones in December of 2006.
“You can’t put a value on a human life,” Muscha said. “Quiet zones save lives and help the communities through which we operate.”