(The following article by Tona Kunz was posted on the Chicago Daily Herald website on February 3.)
CHICAGO — The federal government’s proposed rules on blowing train horns have elicited loud complaints from suburban leaders.
The rules will determine at what crossings trains must blow their horns and how much it will cost towns to create horn-free “quiet zones.”
Local officials say the proposed rules are confusing and vague. They want the federal government to slow down and give municipal leaders a chance to get questions answered.
Elected officials and transportation groups plan to send a flurry of letters to the Federal Railroad Administration this week and next asking the federal government to extend the public comment period on the rules another 60 days.
They also want one or two public hearings held in the Chicago area, something that hasn’t happened since 2000.
As it stands, federal officials plan to stop taking comment Feb. 17 and expect to enact new requirements for quiet zones that would take effect Dec. 19.
Few towns will meet the requirements without pouring more money into safety upgrades. All of DuPage’s quiet zones will need work.
But officials say the railroad administration’s rules are so confusing they can’t tell how much money they will need to invest or where.
DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom has sent a letter to Washington asking for better cost estimates and a clearer picture on whether state or federal funds will be available to help towns shoulder the burden.
DuPage officials estimate it will cost up to $1 million in safety upgrades on each of the county’s three east-west commuter lines. Who will pay for what work hasn’t been determined.
Towns along the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern freight line, which runs north and south, face a bigger financial hurdle.
“That becomes pretty expensive because most of those crossings don’t even have the basic safety requirements; gates and lights,” said Rick Curneal, DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference transportation and planning director.
The networking group of 36 municipalities wants the federal government to include a credit for railroad crossing safety improvements already done. Of particular concern are improvements made from 2000, when the government said safety upgrades were needed, to December 2003, when the government created a list of acceptable upgrades such as four-sided gates.
Local officials said work was done on good faith and if that work has resulted in fewer accidents, it should count toward getting a quiet zone.
“Crossing improvements like County Farm Road that cost $24 million, that has a major impact on safety,” Curneal said. “We want to be sure (towns) get some benefit toward creating a quiet zone. You ought to get some benefit for investing that amount of money.”
And you should get some protection, said Joy Schaad, the Chicago Area Transportation Study director of community liaisons and a representative of the Regional Rail Working Group. She wants clarification on whether towns will shoulder all of the liability for accidents if they seek quiet zones. She also wants the federal government to take on the responsibility of telling the railroads what quiet zones to honor.
“The more you look into it, the more problems you see with the options,” Schaad said. “We are questioning whether it’s feasible at all.”