HIGH-TECH at the crossing - development of advanced railroad crossing equipment

Railway Age, Oct 1, 1998 by Luther S. Miller

According to the FRA, trespasser deaths increased by 14% between 1996 and 1997. Gerri Hall's group is determined to reverse that trend, and recent history' suggests there's reason for optimism.

Operation Lifesaver, which observed its 25th anniversary last year, is credited by the U.S. Department of Transportation with having saved more than 10,000 lives and prevented 40,000 injures through its various education programs, which currently enlist the services of more than 2,000 "presenters."

SOUNDING FOR THE CROSSING: WHAT IMPACT?

FRA is currently preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for a proposed rulemaking on the use of locomotive horns at grade crossings.

"The sounding of locomotive horns at highway-rail grade crossings is recognized by FRA and the railroad industry as contributing to railroad and highway safety," says FRA. "Studies conducted by FRA of circumstances where the sounding of horns had been restricted in eastern Florida (so-called 'whistle bans') have indicated an increased incidence of collisions involving trains and highway users where locomotive horns were not sounded. Although the sounding of locomotive horns at highway-rail grade crossings is the normal practice at most of the 162,000 public grade crossings in the U.S., FRA is aware of approximately 2,200 crossings in 200 communities where locomotive horns are not routinely sounded."

FRA will analyze two alternatives, the proposed action and a "no-action" alternative. "The proposed action is to comply with statutory mandate and issue a regulation requiring the sounding of locomotive horns at every public highway-rail grade crossing in the U.S., including those where locomotive horns are presently not sounded," says FRA. "Such a rule would effectively preempt any state or local law or regulation to the contrary. The regulation encompassed in the proposed action would also identify a number of measures that the states and communities can undertake to provide improved safety at public highway-rail grade crossings.

"In such situations regular sounding of railroad horns would then become unnecessary from a safety perspective and could cease. The regulation would also establish a procedure for consideration by FRA of proposals by states, communities, or other interested persons for approval of new supplementary safety measures that would permit designation of a quiet zone.

"The environmental impacts of requiring the sounding of locomotive horns at public highway-rail crossings where the horns are not presently sounded and a consideration of the environmental impacts associated with the implementation of supplementary safety measures would be a part of the proposed action analysis. The no-action alternative would involve maintenance of the status quo with respect to the sounding of locomotive horns. This would require alternative amendments to existing legislation."

A draft EIS, which will be made available to the public for comment, is presently scheduled for later this fall. Further information on the environmental review is available in the environmental pages of FRA's website, http://www.fra.dot.gov.