In San Mateo, train noise a new ongoing concern

During the City Council meeting Oct. 7, Caltrain External Affairs Manager Brent Tietjen, provided more information to the council about the increase in train stops, faster service and modernized train cars. But Deputy Mayor Rob Newsom, who also commented on the issue during Caltrain’s board meeting last week, said it’s caused confusion and frustration throughout large swaths of the city.

“In the southern part of our city, we have grade separation, so previous to having fully electrified trains, we weren't having any horns blowing just prior to Ninth Avenue,” Newsom said. “The question is, why are we having more horn noise where we didn’t used to have any horn noise at all?”

Some residents have even timed the horns, hearing 59 blasts per hour during peak times, he added.

Residents like Maria Mavridis, who lives in the Sunnybrae neighborhood, said the noise has been affecting people’s day-to-day lives.

“It has been affecting our sleep and quiet enjoyment of our home and neighborhood at all hours. The excessive train horns are coming mostly from commuter trains,” Mavridis said. “This is an excessive amount of noise pollution from one of the highest decibel sound generators cities have. It goes through our double-pane windows and no amount of white noise or earplugs block this.” 

Caltrain spokesperson Dan Lieberman has maintained that the areas where the horn is sounded has not changed. And while the agency initially said the decibel level of the trains is the same as the diesel cars, it recently confirmed they are indeed higher than before, though still within the general 96 to 110 mandated decibel range. Lieberman has said they are in the midst of updating all the trains closer to the 96 level, though it may not be fully completed for another week or so. 

Train noise has long been an issue for many residents who live near the train tracks, even before electrification. While noise levels must adhere to specific federal standards, the San Mateo City Council has been discussing creating a quiet zone, which would allow for less horn noise, provided the city makes improvements at certain track crossings. At Villa Terrace, at the north end of the city, the proposed changes would create two cul-de-sacs on either side of the tracks, removing through traffic and access for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. There are also several options to update the at-grade crossing near East Bellevue Avenue, however, the changes are in the early planning stages and likely wouldn’t be implemented until at least 2026, if not later.

Caltrain’s switch from diesel to electric changes was fully rolled out on Sept. 21, and it increased frequency of service. 

alyse@smdailyjournal.com

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