(The following article by Rachel Gallagher was published by the Atchison Daily Globe on May 1.)
ATCHISON, Kan. — An experimental automatic horn system at railroad crossings could make life in Atchison a little quieter.
A few communities around the country have installed a system of directional horns, which sound automatically at crossings as a train approaches. Unlike the horns that a train engineer sounds, the horns of the automated system sound only down the streets of the crossings rather than throughout the entire area.
After receiving several complaints from the community about the train horns, Atchison city commissioners entertained the idea of adopting these systems two years ago, City Commissioner Larry Purcell said, but decided against it.
“They were going to be real costly,” he said. “It would have been cost prohibitive to do that.”
If the city could install the horns for a cheaper cost, Mr. Purcell said he would embrace the idea.
However, statewide budget cuts, he said, would also make it more difficult for the city to adopt the system now.
The commissioners even met with representatives from the Kansas Department of Transportation and Union Pacific Railroad to discuss the possibility, City Manager Joe Turner said.
From his notes at that time, he said he believed the city would have to pay $30,000 for the installation of the system at each crossing and KDOT would pay $25,000. After installation, the city would also have to maintain the systems – a cost he did not have.
Aside from the expensive installation other factors contributed to the commissioners’ decision to reject the idea.
KDOT and Union Pacific representatives, he said, told him that federal regulations could later be crafted that would require train engineers to sound the trains’ horns along with the automated system – saturating the area with more noise.
Also, Mr. Turner said, Union Pacific representatives said if the city adopted the system, the city would be liable for any accidents at the crossings. Liability insurance alone, he said, was too expensive at the time.
These aspects, Mr. Turner said, may have changed since the city began investigating the automated horns. If commissioners wanted to revisit the issue, he would be open to it, he said.
Mr. Turner agreed with Mr. Purcell that statewide budget cuts would make an adoption of the system unlikely for now.
“It’s going to be extremely difficult,” he said.
Still, he admits that the system could benefit Atchison. During his time as city manager, he said he has received numerous complaints about the excessive, loud horns at the railroad crossings, which he said emanate throughout the community.
“(The automated systems) would make things a lot more quieter around here,” he said.
City commissioners in Parsons, a city similar in population to Atchison, decided in 1995 to adopt the system at two crossings, Parsons City Manager Mary Reed said.
Like Atchison, Parsons has two railroad crossings through the heart of the town and another in a more industrial area, Mrs. Reed said. Although Mrs. Reed did not serve as city manager when the systems were eventually installed, she said citizens like the change.
“It seems to be working,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of compliments. It’s less intrusive on residential neighborhoods but still provides safety.”
According to an Aug. 10, 1998, article in The Parsons Sun, Parsons received a grant from KDOT and the Union Pacific employees installed the first automated horn at one crossing in the fall of 1996. It was the first in the state. The second one, Mrs. Reed said, soon followed.
KDOT paid for the installation, Mrs. Reed said, which totaled $451,459 for the two systems.
“We didn’t pay anything for them but had to agree to maintain them,” she said.
Although she did not have a dollar figure, she said the maintenance of the systems has been minimal.
Parsons commissioners also had to sign an agreement with Union Pacific to install the systems. However, she said, she didn’t believe the city was liable for crossing-related accidents.
Although the horns were installed six years ago, representatives from other communities have been contacting Mrs. Reed recently for more information on the success of the systems.
“It must be the topic of conversation this year,” she said.
Parsons City Commissioner Bill Wheat, who spearheaded the quest to obtain the systems, said the automated horns have made a dramatic difference in the quality of life for Parsons residents.
Before the systems were installed, Mr. Wheat said he counted up to 48 honks from one train at one time.
“We had 20 trains a day through here,” he said. “(Train engineers) apparently were told to honk excessively.”
After talking with railroad officials, Mr. Wheat said he wasn’t satisfied and began looking at a small community in Iowa that had installed the automated system. After reviewing that community’s success, Parsons representatives pursued the system.
“It’s been so much better,” he said. “We had to do something. It’s a very, very good deal as far as were concerned. We’re extremely happy with it.”
Mark Davis, Union Pacific regional director of public relations, said railroad and federal officials are still reviewing the effectiveness of the automated systems, which he called pilot projects. He said there are only a handful of communities throughout the United States with the systems.
“These systems are still in the testing phase,” he said.
If Atchison representatives wanted to try out the systems, Mr. Davis said they will have to wait a while longer.
“There is a temporary hold on further installation of automated horn systems until the Federal Railroad Administration issues their rules on them,” he said. “This isn’t unusual for any type of new technology.”
Union Pacific officials say the horns appear to be safe.
“From a railroad standpoint, we have not heard of any issues with them,” he said.
As for the liability issue with communities who have adopted or will adopt the systems, Mr. Davis said he believed that each agreement is different, especially during this testing phase.
Federal officials have monitored the systems since their inception in various parts of the country, he said.
“Now it’s time to really sit down and analyze how they’ve all functioned,” he said.