San Mateo residents make noise over train horns

Darya Savage has lived in Sunnybrae for several years and said the horn noise has gotten almost unbearable in the last few months. The same goes for Debra Rosenfeld, who said she never heard the horn noise in the 24 years she lived in her home, until recently.

“Despite all the complaints made to the City Council, all the complaints I’ve sent to Caltrain, this is basically going to stay the same,” Rosenfeld said.

As of a couple weeks ago, the trains have gotten quieter during the day but the noise ramps up again around 4 p.m., which speaks to the “massive inconsistency going on,” she added.

Rosenfeld estimated there to be about 60 residents in attendance at the meeting, where Caltrain officials discussed the federal and state regulations dictating when and where the horns should be sounded. Much of the controversy has been centered south of downtown near the Hayward Park station, which is a pedestrian-only crossing. City and Caltrain employees have engaged in discussions over the past couple months to determine whether the horn noise at non-vehicle crossings must sound in the same manner as a vehicle crossing. Agency staff have pointed to the state’s public utilities code, which says that a bell, horn or whistle “shall be sounded at any public crossing,” which would include the Hayward Park station.

The rail agency has maintained that any increase in the frequency of train horn noise is either a result of the more frequent train schedule — San Mateo and Hayward Park stations see nearly 30 more trains stopping each week since electrification — or construction conducted near certain crossings, which would also trigger more sounding requirements. It conducted an audit in the beginning of January, which found that out of the 55 trains surveyed at four San Mateo crossings, all train horn sounds were within federal and state compliance.

Councilmember Lisa Diaz Nash said the meeting was productive and the agency addressed community concerns and some of the communication mishaps that occurred right after the electrification launch.

“We were looking for [Caltrain] to be up front, honest and transparent about what they have done, and mistakes have been made. Major issues were around communication or lack thereof,” she said.

One of the communication issues started when the electric trains made their full debut and involved the new trains’ horn levels, which were set to a higher decibel than the diesel trains. The noise level caused pushback among many residents who live near the tracks, and initially, the agency maintained the noise was the same as the old trains. Eventually, Caltrain confirmed the decibel level was in fact higher and it has since been reset on all trains.

Nash added that the agency has committed to conducting more testing, particularly around vibration and horn noise, and even in residents’ homes, if they so choose.

But Savage said she is dubious of the audit results and Caltrain’s responses.

“It almost felt like they were trying to sell Caltrain to us … we appreciate the transportation, but it is really affecting our day-to-day life,” she said. “They were deflecting and saying they are doing the same thing they’ve always done, which is absolutely not true.”

The most likely solution to the issue would be to create a quiet zone, which are sections of rail at least a half mile in length where routine train horn notices are stopped. The city would have to meet numerous safety improvements, including upgraded gates, concrete medians, street closures, one-way street conversions and participate in a risk review process. In July, the council discussed creating a quiet zone in Villa Terrace and East Bellevue Avenue north of downtown but opted to conduct a traffic study in response to some residents’ concerns over traffic impacts. That means the upgrades likely wouldn’t begin until at least 2026.

Savage said she also hopes the city commits to creating a quiet zone in the area.

“The city has punted the establishment date of the quiet zone every single year since I moved here,” she said. “How can we guarantee that the next council is going to approve it, and it’s not just going to get punted down the road again?

Nash said the quiet zone remains a top priority, stating the city still needs to undergo critical traffic and public safety assessments before it can move forward.

alyse@smdailyjournal.com

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