When “SMART” stupidly decided to operate under Federal FRA-compliant regulations, it created a whole bunch of unnecessary costs:
The board of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District this week unanimously agreed to spend at least $12 million on safety measures associated with establishment of “quiet zones.”
Federal regulations require that train horns blow a quarter-mile before a crossing and continue to sound until the train passes into the intersection. They must sound at a minimum of 96 decibels, which is equal to the volume of a backyard power mower.
Actually, 96 decibels is equivalent to a jackhammer from 50′ away. If they had decided to operate the line as a transit operation, then FRA rules would not apply and the $12 million quiet zones wouldn’t be necessary.
$12 million is not a trivial amount of money, especially given SMART’s budget problems. For example, $12 million is enough to buy two or three DMU trainsets.
SMART didn’t really have a lot of choice, did they? They have *existing* freight contracts. I suppose they could have tried for something like the RiverLine time separation….
…oh, and I have suspicions you’re wrong that it would be cheaper. Run it as a transit operation and then you’re subject to *FTA* grade crossing rules (*eyeroll*). I doubt you’ve priced out what that would cost. Often the cost is either:
- the same grade crossing treatment as for a full railroad quiet zone;
or:
- very low speed limits.
Perhaps the latter would be no big deal; it depends where the quiet zones are going to be. Perhaps it would be a huge deal.
You are correct — I have not priced out FTA crossing rules. That is because there aren’t any.
There’s no such thing as FTA quiet zones, but the CPUC rules with an iron fist, and often imposes regulations at least as stringent as the FRA does. For example, the medians at crossings and quad gates can be seen on newer light rail lines in California, and those are most definitely nothing to do with the FRA and everything to do with the CPUC and the local agencies attempting to show that they’re trying hard so that the CPUC won’t impose arbitrary other restrictions (which they did anyway with the Expo Line in LA).
anonymouse:
CPUC horn decibel level is not as severe as that of the FRA. And it would be surprising if the CPUC required quad gates and medians for a largely single-track in a rural area (but as you note the CPUC can be unpredictable).