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Next Steps:
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Legal counsel for the City, OCTA, and other interested parties are currently working out issues related to liability and indemnification concerns.
The OCTA are completing technical studies concerning required horn decibel levels for the wayside horns.
The City and OCTA are working on completing the CPUC application for the Wayside horns which will be submitted to the CPUC once the technical studies are completed. Projected submittal is Fall 2010.
The two North Beach crossing improvements are scheduled for completion October 2011.
The Quiet Zone for the North Beach area will be established at those two crossings following completion of the improvements.
For the rest of the crossings in San Clemente, it is anticipated it will be another year before the administrative process is complete for the Safety/Quiet Zone. After the City obtains approval for the Safety/Quiet Zone the required improvements will need to be constructed and then the Safety/Quiet Zone can be established.
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Wayside Horn System Highlights
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The city of San Clemente has eight pedestrian railroad crossings lining its beach trail that allow users to access the coastline safely. In an effort to reduce or eliminate train horn noise at these crossings, the city in partnership with OCTA is pursuing the implementation of a Wayside Horn System.
The City of San Clemente is considering the implementation of wayside horns at their eight rail crossings. For more Transportation in 2 videos, visit OCTA’s YouTube channel.A wayside horn is a stationary horn system at railroad crossings that sound off a warning, directed towards pedestrians, when a train approaches. While in place, it substitutes for the sound of a train horn.
OCTA is joining the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the California Public Utilities Commission to conduct a sound study in coordination with the City of San Clemente to determine if wayside horns are appropriate for the proposed pedestrian railroad crossings.
The study will analyze the possibility of reducing FRA mandated wayside horn volumes at pedestrian crossings in order to enhance the quality of life for surrounding residents. A preliminary report of the study is anticipated to be completed in March 2010.
Click Here for a video highlighting the effort to reduce or eliminate train horn noise at these crossings, the city in partnership with OCTA is pursuing the implementation of a Wayside Horn System.
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Current Status of each of the City's initiatives to establish a Safety/Quiet Zone for the City
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Undergrounding
The City approved a study for the potential undergrounding of the pedestrian crossings to be conducted by RailPro’s. RailPro's did a detailed analysis of each crossing; the analysis indicated the final cost was estimated at $18 million dollars. The huge cost is a result of many of the crossings needing to be designed as handicap accessible. This is a preliminary estimate and of course it could potentially be lower. However, say the analysis is 50% over budgeted, that’s still $9 million dollars and is currently not financially feasible for the City at this time. The following is a cost breakdown for each crossing:
This total does not include maintenance costs or operational problems which would be significant due to the ocean tide. For example, currently during higher tides the Riviera crossing can fill up to two feet with water.
Wayside Horns
A meeting with OCTA, CPUC, SCRRA and the City SQC committee resulted in a consensus that the wayside horn option, with specific decibel levels (dbl) at lower volumes, at the pedestrian at grade crossings was the most promising option to solve safety and noise concerns. Exact dbl volumes are still to be determined as further testing is needed to ensure proper safety requirements are met. This promising option is judged to be the most effective to solve safety and noise problems in terms of timing and cost. As a result the focus will be on this option. A detailed wayside horn diagnostic was conducted in December, with the OCTA taking the lead in setting up that test. At the test the various agencies tested wayside horns at an 85 dbl at the crossings; the horns could clearly be heard by pedestrians ten feet from the crossing. Currently the agencies are looking into the possibility of placing the horns on the inland side of the railroad tract with the horns facing toward the ocean. The horns could be focused at key pedestrian locations as depicted in the below diagram.
If wayside horns result in a viable option, the ambient noise from the horns will be approximately 66 dbl at 100 feet from the key pedestrian location points. This would be a significant noise reduction from the current train horns. The CPUC and OCTA are continuing to analyze wayside horns to see if they are a feasible option for San Clemente.
City of Oceanside
The City is still currently working with the City of Oceanside as a potential partner to our Quiet Zone. Oceanside is presently working to bring their crossings into compliance which will cost roughly $2 million dollars. Funding is also an issue with the City of Oceanside and a timeline as to when the improvements will be completed is still under development.
Safety Quiet Zone
City has orchestrated a Diagnostic review of all the crossings with the CPUC, BNSF, Metrolink...etc. Recommendations were made for improvements to the crossings to bring the City up to potential Quiet Zone standards and the City is actively working towards incorporating the recommendations.
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CPUC and FRA meet with City Officials and Staff
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On August 24, 2009 members from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) met with City officials and staff as a follow up to the meeting Mayor Donchak and Councilman Eggleston had with the FRA in Washington D.C. in June.
The meeting was held at the Ole Hanson Beach Club, where intermittent blows from the trail horns reminded the group of the goals of the Safety/Quiet Zone for the community. The CPUC and the FRA indicated they wanted to work with the City to find solutions to the problem. The CPUC also stated that we have a common goal between us, Safety, which is their number one priority. They also noted that they too were concerned about the noise and how it’s affecting the community, and that it is a very difficult situation, but they look forward to common ground solutions.
It was agreed that a “wall to wall” diagnostic test was required for the San Clemente Rail Corridor, the test will occur towards the end of September. This means that all the rail road operators, OCTA, CPUC, the City, and FRA will meet on site to evaluate the entire Coastal Trail. The evaluation, or “diagnostic” as it is called, will determine what additional safety improvements need to be made. This diagnostic is an important step toward establishing a Safety/Quiet Zone (SQZ) for the full length of the Coastal Trail.
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HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
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Send your letters about the horns to:
Mr. Mathew Rose, CEO
BNSF Railway Company
2650 Lou Menk Drive 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 961057
Fort Worth, TX 76161-0057
or call Lena Kent with BNSF at (909)386-4140,
*We welcome contacts of other groups or individuals that would like to join us in this cause.
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Safety Tips
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Click here to view information on how to enhance rail safety in our community.
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