Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: MARCH 5, 2024
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: STEPHEN BISE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
PREPARED BY: STEPHEN BISE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
SUBJECT: ACACIA AVENUE RAILROAD GRADE CROSSING QUIET ZONE ASSESSMENT
SUMMARY
Initial assessment of quiet zone implementation at the Acacia Avenue rail grade crossing.
PROPOSED MOTION
Receive and file.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
Approve the Proposed Motion
Direct staff to reallocate resources to further investigate feasibility of a quiet zone at the Acacia Avenue grade crossing Other options brought by City Council.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Proposed Motion.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
Based on the staff resources and potential financial costs to attain a quiet zone, I recommend the City Council either not pursue or the City Council direct staff to bring back at budget to weigh against other competing priorities for the resources.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statements:
Infrastructure and City Assets
Public Safety.
FISCAL IMPACT
Further assessment would divert staff resources from other projects and initiatives identified in the Department work plan. BNSF would require a Preliminary Engineering Service Agreement and reimbursement of all expenses incurred (estimated at $50,000).
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reduces the number of collisions at highway‐rail grade crossings while establishing a consistent standard for communities that opt to preserve or enhance quality of life for their residents with quiet zones that prohibit routine train horns use at crossings. Federal regulation requires locomotive horns begin sounding 15 to 20 seconds before entering public highway‐rail grade crossings, no more than one‐quarter mile in advance. Only a public authority, the governmental entity responsible for traffic control or law enforcement at the crossings, may create quiet zones. A quiet zone is a section of a rail line at least one‐half mile in length that contains one or more consecutive public highway‐rail grade crossings where locomotive horns do not routinely sound when trains approach the crossings. The prohibited use of train horns at quiet zones only applies to trains approaching and entering crossings and does not include train horn use within passenger stations or rail yards. Train horns sound in emergency situations or to comply with other railroad or FRA rules, even within a quiet zone. Quiet zone regulations also do not eliminate the use of locomotive bells at crossings. Therefore, a “reduced train horn area” provides a more appropriate description of a designated quiet zone.
A crossing most meet one of the following conditions to create a quite zone:
The Quiet Zone Risk Index (QZRI) is less than or equal to the Nationwide Significant Risk Threshold (NSRT) with or without additional safety measures such as Supplementary Safety Measures (SSMs) or Alternative Safety Measures (ASMs). The QZRI is the average risk for all public highway‐rail crossings in the quiet zone, including the additional risk for absence of train horns and any reduction in risk due to the risk mitigation measures. The NSRT is the level of risk calculated annually by averaging the risk at all national public highway‐rail grade crossings equipped with flashing lights and gates where train horns routinely sound.
The Quiet Zone Risk Index (QZRI) is less than or equal to the Risk Index With Horns (RIWH) with additional safety measures such as SSMs or ASMs. The RIWH is the average risk for all public highway‐rail crossings in the proposed quiet zone when locomotive horns routinely sound.
Install SSMs at every public highway‐rail crossing. This offers the best method to reduce risks in a proposed quiet zone and enhance safety.
Fullerton Public Works partnered with regional transportation agencies for many years to construct grade separations at nearly all rail crossings, including Gilbert Street, Commonwealth Avenue, Euclid Street, Harbor Boulevard, Lemon Street, Raymond Avenue and State College Boulevard. Right-of-way constraints and constructability challenges make a grade separation at the Acacia Avenue crossing infeasible. This location is one of the only remaining highway-rail crossings in the City which requires a train horn to comply with the Rule. The following image displays crossing conditions.
Staff assessed the crossing using resources in the FRA Trail Horn Rule guidelines. The FRA Quit Zone calculator indicates the current crossing condition does not qualify for a quiet zone (Attachment 3). The Quiet Zone Risk Index (QZRI) is four times higher than the National Significant Risk Threshold (NSRT) and nearly two times higher than the Risk Index with Horns (RIWH). The City must implement Supplemental Safety Measures (SSM), build grade separations, close crossings and/or install wayside horns to qualify for Public Authority Designation.
The Rail Crossings and Engineering Branch (RCEB) participates in diagnostic crossings reviews in the proposed Quiet Zone Under the Train Horn Rule and recommends safety enhancements in lieu of trains sounding their horn. RCEB or the other parties involved in the Quiet Zone review (railroads, FRA, roadway authority) may require further implementing further improvements (in addition to the SSM) before establishing a Quiet Zone. The crossing must meet several requirements before establishing a Quiet Zone including:
Federal Railroad Administration Train Horn Rule
California Public Utilities Commission General Orders
United States Department of Transportation’s Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Transportation Facilities California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (published by Caltrans).
Quiet zone crossings are subject to annual review that could require the City to implement additional SSMs and/or improvements to maintain the quiet zone designation.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – FRA Train Horn and Quiet Zone Fact Sheet Attachment 2 – Guidance on the Quiet Zone Creation Process Attachment 3 – FRA Quiet Zone Calculator (Acacia Avenue; Existing Conditions) cc: City Manager Eric J. Levitt
Acacia Avenue Railroad Grade Crossing Quiet Zone Assessment March 5, 2024 - Page PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 2