The sound of train horns — considered nostalgic by some but an irritant to others — will mostly be a thing of the past north of Broadway Road in Tempe starting Jan. 25. That’s when a so-called quiet zone will go into effect for trains on the Union Pacific Railroad line. In the zone, conductors are prohibited from using the horn except for safety concerns such as pedestrians, bicyclists or motorists getting too close to the tracks.
The city has sought the quiet zone for years to reduce noise in neighborhoods. It required working with the railroad, the Arizona Corporation Commission and the Federal Railroad Administration.
The quiet zone will be evaluated for its effectiveness. Any expansion south of Broadway would require a separate process.
chatmandu002 posted at 11:17 am on Fri, Jan 6, 2012.
Kind of like buying a house near the airport and demanding that the aircraft noise be restricted. Which came first the house or the train?