WOODS CROSS QUIET ZONE
Woods Cross City Statements on the Railroad Quiet Zone
Updated November 11, 2024:
North Salt Lake City (NSL) and Salt Lake City (SLC) engineers are working diligently on the projects that will bring the 1000 W and Main Street crossings into compliance. We now understand that while the deficiencies at these two crossings (and nearly all the corrections noted by the FRA since 2021) have existed in the current condition for many years.
We understand that FRA started conducting their own inspections in 2021, and the FRA inspector’s interpretation of the code has been different than the individuals that did the previous inspections. The FRA has identified that both crossings have an industrial track near the main tracks, and while the main tracks comply with quiet zone standards, the industrial track lacks the required “gates” (arms), which the FRA says could allow a vehicle to stop on the track and be struck by a train. It should also be noted that neither of these industrial crossings have had a reportable incident resulting in the loss of life or serious injury.
The plans for each project must be reviewed and approved by Union Pacific and/or the applicable railroad having authority over the crossing. The work must also be done under the jurisdiction of the railroad authority, and we are told that it could take up to 18 months to complete the work. Both cities have appropriated the money to pay for the projects and are now at the mercy of the plan review and construction process by others.
Waiver applications are being submitted by both cities to the FRA, to request short-term safety alternatives that can be implemented until the permanent work is done. Quiet zone and Union Pacific representatives met on Tuesday, November 5th to discuss options and learn more about the coordination that is needed to move the projects forward. The Utah Transit Authority and Utah Department of Transportation staff have been incredibly supportive in the process and have offered their assistance at every level. We appreciate their cooperation and responsiveness. Congressional leaders in Washington D.C. are monitoring the situation closely and have committed staff resources to prepare letters that will be delivered to the FRA, encouraging a rapid response to the issue.
The Woods Cross Quiet Zone group is appealing to the FRA’s administrative authority to approve the waivers and immediately reinstate the quiet zone for the benefit of the citizens whose sleep and peace is negatively impacted by the train horns. We have also learned through the most recent analysis of each crossing, that the Woods Cross Quiet zone is well below risk index associated with train crossings with horns, as shown in the graph below. Using the FRA scoring system, the score of 67,280 relates to all the crossings in the Quiet Zone as if the additional safety devices were not in place and the trains sounded horns at every crossing as the required warning.
The score of 36,862 reflects crossings with the current safety measures in place at each crossing throughout the quiet zone. While a quiet zone can be approved if the Risk Index w/ (Supplemental Safety Measures) Credit is equal to or less than the Risk Index w/ Train Horns, the Woods Cross quiet zone score is 45% less than what it could be. This is an amazing margin of safety throughout the entire quiet zone and the cities and agencies responsible for maintaining these crossings should be recognized for their efforts. We will continue to work with the applicable agencies and cities to find the quickest path to restore the quiet zone and silence the train horns.
We will continue to work with the applicable agencies and cities to find the quickest path to restore the quiet zone and silence the train horns.