The City of Belle Plaine held a ribbon cutting earlier this week celebrating the completion of railroad “Quiet Zones” – a project that has been 10 years in the making for the city.
According to the City, the Quiet Zones silence 50-plus train horns each day and are set up with supplemental safety measures to compensate, including new or redesigned crossings.
In a quiet zone, railroads have been directed to cease the routine sounding their horns when approaching public highway-rail grade crossings, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Train horns may still be used in emergency situations or to comply with other Federal regulations or railroad operating rules.
Localities desiring to establish a quiet zone are first required to mitigate the increased risk caused by the absence of a horn.
