Friday, October 27, 2000 (Washington, DC) Federal Railroad Administrator Jolene M. Molitoris today announced completion of a study of costs associated with implementation of Quiet Zones in several Chicago-area communities.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) study, performed at the request of U.S. Representative William O. Lipinski, illuminates the potential cost to communities of establishing quiet zones along specific corridors. The analysis revealed that in some cases, public education efforts and increased enforcement of existing highway-rail crossing laws can be used in lieu of more costly engineering improvements such as the installation or upgrade of four-quadrant gates, photo enforcement systems, or traffic separators. To accurately determine costs, FRA considered among other things the physical and operating characteristics of each crossing and the relative costs of specific infrastructure improvements or public awareness efforts, including the cost of labor.

"The FRA is committed to providing communities the greatest amount of flexibility possible in achieving Quiet Zone status," said Administrator Molitoris. "We prepared this analysis at Representative Lipinski?s request to show more concretely what the actual cost would be to comply with the proposed rule in an actual corridor in the Chicago area."

To conduct the study, the FRA utilized a risk-reduction methodology detailed in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the Use of Locomotive Horns issued on January 12, 2000. The risk reduction approach entails the use of "Diagnostic Teams" and allows communities to exercise a variety of options in qualifying for a Quiet Zone. The costs derived from this analysis were compared to those from previous public comments gathered at 12 public hearings in 9 states and at dozens of community outreach meetings.

The site-specific analysis was conducted at 12 highway-rail grade crossings in the three communities of LaGrange, Western Springs and Hinsdale, IL. The total cost for education and enforcement efforts was estimated at $65,000 to $90,000 annually along a single rail corridor that traverses all three communities. Alternatively, if engineering improvements are made along the same rail line, the estimated costs are $360,000 for construction and $37,000 for annual maintenance and other operating costs. The FRA?s estimates are based on the use of FRA?s corridor approach, and the conclusion that only three of the twelve crossings would require installation of four-quadrant gates in order to achieve the same safety benefits as locomotive horns. The costs are considerably below those described by some commenters who have estimated costs as high as $4.2 million for this corridor. Cost estimates made by several commenters are based upon a public misperception that the proposed rule would require four-quadrant gates to be installed at every crossing.

Administrator Molitoris added, "The point of this rulemaking is to enhance safety at grade crossings. Whether that is done through education and enforcement, through engineering improvements, or through the use of train horns is entirely up to the local community."

As conceived in the NPRM, a Quiet Zone is a rail corridor at least one half mile in length with public highway-rail grade crossings at which Supplemental Safety Measures (SSMs) or Alternative Safety Measures (ASMs) "fully compensate for the absence of the audible warning provided by the locomotive horn." Under the proposed rule, train horns or whistles could only be silenced if approved SSM or ASM treatments are applied to crossings in the designated corridor.

The Swift Rail Development Act, enacted in November 1994, required that the Secretary of Transportation issue a rule that requires locomotive horns or whistles to be sounded on approach to all public grade crossings except where certain conditions are met. These conditions include locations where there is no significant risk to persons or the horn is impractical as a warning device or SSMs and/or ASMs fully compensate for the absence of the audible warning provided by a horn or whistle.