(The Press-Tribune posted the following story by Jason Shykowksi on its website on August 14.)
ROSEVILLE, Calif. — As you travel through town near the railroad crossings at Tiger Way and Yosemite Street, you may notice work crews installing some new equipment at these crossings during the month of August.
What they’re working on is one of the first, stationary automated train horn warning systems to be installed in California. There are only about a dozen automated horn systems being used in the nation and we expect our system to be operational by the end of the month.
The $170,000 system includes loudspeakers fixed at the crossings to provide the train horn warning sounds as trains approach and pass through the railroad crossings. Trains that use these crossings no longer will be required to use their horns except for emergencies or if the automated system is not working. On average, about 40 trains use these crossings every day.
The goal is to provide more localized and better-directed train horn warnings to the vehicle drivers who are stopped at these intersections and to reduce the noise pollution experienced by residents who live near these railroad crossings. Because the loudspeakers are at fixed locations, they are better suited than a moving train to keep the warning noise at the crossings instead of drifting through the neighborhoods.
The Federal Rail Adminis-tration is providing about $15,000 of the cost, but the remaining funds are coming from the city’s general fund. The city council directed staff to move forward with the project in response to requests from residents living near the railroad crossings who have complained about the noise.
In response, city staff has been working with residents, state and federal officials, Union Pacific Railroad, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and the United Transportation Union for the last two years to bring the project to Roseville.
Once installed, the city’s automated train horn system will be used for the next two years during a test-and-evaluation phase before any determination is made to keep the automated horns as a permanent safety feature. A video camera system is also being installed to monitor the operations at the railroad crossings.
A special signal will also flash at the oncoming trains as they approach the railroad crossing to tell the train engineers that the automated system is working or if they need to activate their train’s own horn.
The automated system project can be canceled at any time if officials involved with the project determine that it presents a safety hazard.
Any questions or comments regarding the train horn safety system can be directed to Jason Shykowski with the City Public Works Department at (916) 746-1300.