In 1999 two major railroads acquired the property of former Con Rail Corp. Norfolk Southern (NS) acquired the tracks bisecting the northern part of Olmsted Falls while CSX Transportation acquired the southern tracks. NS tracks had approximately 54 trains per day while CSX had only 14. Based on the proposal that any increase over 8 trains per day would necessitate CSX paying $10,000 for each property with a structure closer than 100 feet from the tracks, CSX paid the City $290,000 as compensation as trains increased from 14 per day to 52. The City determined to use that money to resolve the overall sound noise in the City.
When the Federal Government (Federal Rail Administration) dragged its feet in publishing the rules and guidelines for the establishment of Quiet Zones which would result in non-horn blowing at our 7 at-grade crossings, 7 communities in our area got together and proposed a pilot Quiet Zone in Brook Park, Berea, Olmsted Falls, Olmsted Township, Middleburg Heights and Strongsville, which was passed by the Ohio Legislature. Those communities paid $5,000 each to have an engineering firm determine what proposed supplemental safety measures may be constructed at crossings in order to permit Quiet Zones to be established.
Olmsted Falls applied for Quiet Zones establishment and submitted proposed engineering documentation. Contracts were awarded to begin the construction of the supplemental safety measures according to the proposed federal rule. Shortly after the new Ohio law took effect the FRA published their final rule
The rule requires all train engines to blow the horn (whistle) four times in a pattern of 2 long, 1 short, 1 long for a quarter mile before and through the crossing. Ohio law also requires the same pattern. Two years later the FRA revised the train horn rule to require that the horn decibel reading should be 110 db. Thus, the horns have become louder.
Olmsted Falls submitted construction drawings to CSX in March 2006 and got a response in June 2006. NS received those construction drawings in November 2006. Some changes in the plans were suggested by the railroads but the final notice of intent to form a Quiet Zone was submitted in June 2006. Olmsted Falls awarded a construction contract in 2006 and some construction has already occurred, mainly relocation of some driveways close to the crossings. A diagnostic review team was required by the law and CSX and NS finally came to Olmsted Falls in August 2007. Mayor Blomquist met with CSX team member regarding the crossings at Sprague, Columbia (South) and West Streets. Council President Bev Smith met with a NS team member along with a City Engineering staff member. Minor suggestions were made to tweak the grade crossing sites as to visibility of railroad approach signs and elimination of a few street parking spaces. That work is in progress.
Once the SSMs (supplemental safety measures) or ASMs (alternative safety measures) are completed the notice to Declare the Establishment of the zone is then sent to the following agencies: Both railroads (NS and CSX), FRA Regional office, Olmsted Falls Police Department, Owner of property for private rail crossing, ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation), ORDC (Ohio Rail Development Commission, and PUCO (Public Utilities Corporation of Ohio.)
If you would like more information on the use of locomotive horns at public highway-rail grade crossings, use Internet to access the Electronic Code of Federal Regulation, which is less government-ese than the Federal Register.
In response to a legislative mandate, FRA has issued a Final Rule on the Use of Locomotive Horns at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings. This final rule, which requires that locomotive horns be sounded as a warning to highway users at public highway-rail crossings, will take effect on June 24, 2005. Until June 24, 2005, the sounding of locomotive horns at public crossings will remain subject to applicable State and local laws. The final rule provides an opportunity, not available until now, for thousands of localities nationwide to mitigate the effects of train horn noise by establishing new "quiet zones." The rule also details actions communities with pre-existing "whistle bans" can take to preserve the quiet they have become accustomed to.