[RP TownTalk] Hyattsville council discusses RxR quiet zone for Decatur crossing

[David Hiles]

It is wonderful to “hear” that RP is moving forward on establishing a quiet zone.  Even better if HY is doing the same for their crossings.  Please allow me to provide some background and toot my own horn.

When I was on the council in Riverdale Park, I initiated the SHA review of the Queensbury crossing.  I had been a MARC commuter for several years and had witnessed more than enough train/car collisions. At that time Queensbury was one of the top five or ten most dangerous crossings in Maryland. 

We lived on Sheridan Street,  a few blocks north of the intersection.  I was very aware of the quality of life impact of the horns. I researched the quiet zone concept.  At that time I didn’t think there was council support for paying for the safety engineering study that would make the quiet zone a reality.   But I worked with SHA to ensure that the crossing design would qualify Queensbury for a no-horn status and would be safe.    It took a year or so for the project to actually complete, and by that time I was off the council.

As a result of the Queensbury crossing upgrade, the main train line that runs from Baltimore to Union Station qualifies (at an engineering level) for quiet zone status from Sunnyside in Greenbelt down to Union Station.

South of Queensbury, there is a branch line that carries traffic that goes over the Decatur crossing east towards Bladensburg.  Hyattsville may be able to complete a similar analysis, installation, study, and approval process for that line.

A few more tidbits:
—CSX approves and cooperates on improving the safety of crossings because it reduces their downtime.
—Crossing upgrade costs are paid for out of a safety trust fund with no payments required by the community.
—The noise plume for horns is much larger than that of actual train noise. 
—The jurisdiction in which a crossing lies holds the football for moving quiet zone applications.

David Hiles

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/attachments/20150210/537ededc/attachment.html>