SAN DIEGO–Downtown San Diego residents, business owners and hoteliers who have long awaited the establishment of a Quiet Zone to significantly reduce the number of train horn blasts may notice the sounds of progress on Sunday, July 10, beginning at 6 a.m. and continuing until approximately 1 p.m. as safety tests are conducted to ensure that newly installed equipment functions properly.
This test, the first of seven that will certify equipment function at 12 public crossings, is required before new vehicular and pedestrian gates, (expected to arrive in August 2011) can be installed.
On July 10, in addition to regular rail traffic, a test train will make a total of 8 roundtrips from Old Town Station through downtown to check the accuracy and responsiveness of upgraded railroad signal devices that activate gates at public crossings.
As required by Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations, the test train’s horn must sound as it approaches each crossing. Flaggers will also be present at the four intersections being tested (Laurel, Palm, Sassafras and Washington streets) and at other areas along the rail corridor as an additional safety precaution. “The need to coordinate numerous schedules affected our plans and timing,” said Gary Bosse, Centre City Development Corporation Assistant Vice President – Public Works. “We are glad to be making progress on this important project, yet remain sensitive to the possible inconvenience. We will complete the testing as quickly as possible, knowing that noise now is in the name of a quieter tomorrow.”
Plans call for all safety enhancements, including gates, medians, traffic signals and warning lights to be operational by Spring 2012. Shortly thereafter, the City’s application is approved and authorized by the FRA, the track between Laurel Street and Fifth Avenue will qualify as a “Quiet Zone.” This designation will exempt that section of the rail corridor from federal regulations requiring that train horns be sounded for 15-20 seconds before entering all public grade crossings, though not more than one-quarter mile in advance, except in an emergency.
The San Diego Quiet Zone project includes 13 public right-of-way railroad crossings, from Park Boulevard at Harbor Drive north to Fifth and First avenues, Front Street, Market Street, Kettner Boulevard and G streets, Broadway, Ash, Beech, Cedar, Grape, Hawthorn, and Laurel streets are included in the San Diego Quiet Zone. Park Boulevard will be constructed as a separate project.
As one of the nation’s longest and most complex Quiet Zones to be planned within a shared rail corridor, many organizations are involved in the design, construction, functionality and long-term maintenance including: Burlington Northern Sante Fe (BNSF), Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), AMTRAK, San Diego Imperial Valley Railway, North County Transit District, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
