Study suggests Memphis railroad noise could be reduced without compromising safety

A Norfolk Southern train blows its horn as it crosses Prescott near Southern last week. The city  is reviewing a University of Memphis study that suggests railroad quiet zones could lift property values enough to recoup investment in crossing upgrades within a decade.

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A Norfolk Southern train blows its horn as it crosses Prescott near Southern last week. The city is reviewing a University of Memphis study that suggests railroad quiet zones could lift property values enough to recoup investment in crossing upgrades within a decade.

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A deafening horn blast from a passing Norfolk Southern locomotive cut short National Association of Realtors president-elect Maurice "Moe" Veissi's speech to local Realtors recently.

Veissi was winding up a discussion of national legislative issues at a parking lot cookout at the Memphis Area Association of Realtors when the train whistle told him it was time to fold his notes and sit down.

Approaching West Massey behind the Realtors' office, the train sounded an ear-splitting sequence heard 24/7 across Memphis: two long, one short, one long.

It's the sound of safety in the eyes of five major railroads serving the city, but it could be replaced by the sound of silence if a whistle-free approach can be proven as safe or safer.

A University of Memphis study that has been forwarded to the administration of Mayor A C Wharton suggests railroad quiet zones could boost property values enough that investment in crossing upgrades would be recouped in higher taxes within a decade.

The study of the Norfolk Southern corridor by the Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute and Sparks Bureau of Business and Economic Research grew out of an informal effort to address railroad noise as a quality-of-life issue.

Study findings included:

26 percent of Memphis residents live within one-half mile of a busy train track and are affected by train horn noise.

79 percent of residents surveyed and 55 percent of businesses surveyed supported establishment of quiet zones.

A survey of appraisers suggested homes near rail crossings are worth 14 percent less on average than homes not near crossings.

Appraisers also said proximity to a rail line lowered property values by 7.2 percent for residential and 1.3 percent for commercial.

A quiet zone is a section of rail line at least one-half mile long where locomotive horns don't have to be sounded at public highway rail-grade crossings. There are 468 around the nation, more than half of them established at the initiative of local governments under regulations set by the Federal Railroad Administration in 2005.

Quiet zones have been discussed in recent years in Collierville and in conjunction with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe's upgrade of intermodal capabilities, but the only Tennessee quiet zone listed by the FRA is in Mount Juliet. There are three in Mississippi and none in Arkansas.

City Engineer John Cameron said the administration is reviewing the study findings with an eye toward incorporating quiet-zone efforts into future city budgets.

"Overall, it's a great concept and there are significant benefits that can be gained: safety benefits, property values, quality-of-life issues in town," Cameron said.

Retired businessman George Cates, former chairman and CEO of Mid-America Apartment Communities, got the quiet-zone effort rolling and helped secure private funding to support the U of M study.

"We live in a neighborhood like two-thirds of Memphians where railroad noises are a pain in the neck," Cates said. "I did a little scouting and found many communities had quiet zones. I said, 'Why not Memphis?'"

Memphis as a railroad hub has few equals around the country, namely Chicago and New Orleans, and big railroads aren't wild about quiet zones.

The Union Pacific, which has a major intermodal hub near Marion, Ark., says this on its website: "Union Pacific believes quiet zones compromise the safety of railroad employees, customers and the general public. While the railroad does not endorse quiet zones, it does comply with provisions outlined in the law."

The law spells out a series of action steps and benchmarks that force proponents of quiet zones to prove safety won't suffer, said Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute director Marty Lipinski.

"The most important thing when you do something like this is safety," Lipinski said. "If you're going to create one of these, you basically have to go through a mathematical calculation to show that the safety at the street crossing is better than it was before."

The U of M study looked at the Norfolk Southern corridor because it runs through the commercial and residential heart of Memphis and covers a broad socioeconomic spectrum, from Kirby on the east to Kyle and Rozelle on the west.

Most crossings already have flashing lights and a pair of gates. A typical way of preparing a quiet-zone crossing is to have four gates, two on each side of the tracks, so that vehicles can't weave around gates and across the tracks.

U of M hired a consultant, Bowlby & Associates, to take noise readings and compared that data against property value information from the Shelby County tax assessor and appraiser surveys.

"We said we were going to measure the sound at a select number of locations and measure if there's any correlation between the decibel reading and property values," Lipinski said.

The study, completed in June, said it would cost about $2.2 million to modify crossings for a Norfolk Southern quiet zone. Provided the reduced noise translated into increase property values and taxes, "the break-even for establishing the Norfolk Southern quiet zone from property taxes alone would be approximately 10 years," the study said.

That doesn't take into account better health and uninterrupted sleep.

"It is difficult to place a value on a better night's sleep, businesses that can operate without interruption, sitting in your yard, being healthy and learning in school after a good night's rest," the study added.

Cameron believes the cost might be somewhat higher, perhaps in the $3 million to $3.5 million range for the Norfolk Southern corridor. He said the administration also wants to look at the other corridors: Canadian National, CSX, Union Pacific and BNSF.

"We are in difficult financial times," Cameron said. "We'd have to see how that initiative would fit within our budget."

-- Wayne Risher: (901) 529-2874

Quiet zones

More information about railroad quiet zones can be found at the Federal Railroad Administration website under the heading "Train Horn Rule."

© 2011 Memphis Commercial Appeal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Comments » 30

tvguymem#206468 writes:

How does blowing the horns stop some moron from weaving around crossing gates? I can see using the horns if there aren't any gates or lights, but common sense on the driver's part has got to be a factor in this equation.

BogeyMan writes:

This study makes perfect sense. Horns aren't going to prevent someone who's hellbent on going through crossing gates from doing so, and as for anyone who is distracted while driving, like listening to loud music, texting or the like, the newer gates at the crossing would eliminate the necessity for loud horns even for these oblivious drivers.

It's just too bad Mr. Cates isn't one of the thousands of Memphians who are as (if not more) profoundly affected by airplane noise as he is by railroad noise. Airplane quiet zones (which many cities have) are just as necessary as railroad quiet zones. But we'll never have them here as long as Fred Smith has this city by the short hairs.

OldHippieChick writes:

I lived about 15 yards from the railroad line when I was in college. After about a week, I no longer heard the trains. I lived directly under one of FedEx's flight paths. The only time it woke me up was the first time that FedEx did NOT fly out on a weekday due to weather. The human mind is capable of amazing things, including filtering extraneous, expected, understood noises.

cytiger writes:

in response to OldHippieChick:

I lived about 15 yards from the railroad line when I was in college. After about a week, I no longer heard the trains. I lived directly under one of FedEx's flight paths. The only time it woke me up was the first time that FedEx did NOT fly out on a weekday due to weather. The human mind is capable of amazing things, including filtering extraneous, expected, understood noises.

My thoughts exactly as I was reading this article.

I live not far from the railroad on Southern and directly in the glidepath for 18R at MEM.

The only time it disturbs me is when I DON'T hear the trains and planes, because it usually means foul weather is here or on the way.

It's a tradeoff...the folks that live out east have to deal with faster-moving, less-bothersome trains, while those of us in the middle of the city have to deal with trains that stop and block intersections (thank God for the viaduct at Josephine).

cytiger writes:

Oh, and the first time an accident happens in a "quiet zone" and Norfolk Southern throws its hands up and says "don't sue us, sue the city", that will be the end of quiet zones.

Ivan writes:

"Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance..."

-Paul Simon

zbo4prez writes:

Why not make the railroads pay?

no1hd#311467 writes:

in response to cytiger:

Oh, and the first time an accident happens in a "quiet zone" and Norfolk Southern throws its hands up and says "don't sue us, sue the city", that will be the end of quiet zones.

Exactly..I suggest they figure how many jobs and much money is brought to the city by the railroads..

usn_retired writes:

in response to OldHippieChick:

I lived about 15 yards from the railroad line when I was in college. After about a week, I no longer heard the trains. I lived directly under one of FedEx's flight paths. The only time it woke me up was the first time that FedEx did NOT fly out on a weekday due to weather. The human mind is capable of amazing things, including filtering extraneous, expected, understood noises.

I slept under a flight deck on an aircraft carrier with 24/7 flight ops. When aircraft land they compresses the living space and your ears pop, and the takeoffs in afterburner are something else. In between people are throwing wheel chocks and chains. You do get used to it.

davidsweeney#435355 writes:

Doing away with horns would raise the overall IQ's substantially.

JM2 writes:

It's not true that "you get used to it (the noise of trains and planes)." I have lived in the Memphis area for over 20 years and in different neighborhoods under flight paths and near the train. I never got used to either noise. I am still awakened occasionally at night by Fed Ex planes, even with the AC running. In the winter, I am still awakened occasionally by the trains, even though I am miles away from the train. I choose to live in a relatively quiet area, and I sleep much better because of my choice. (I take very good care of my hearing, which may be why I hear noises so well. I don't think people realize that hearing loss is a real issue in today's world.)

I would buy a house in a heartbeat along Park if the trains stopped the whistles. As it is though, no way. I lived a half mile from Park at one point and for five years, I endured the train whistle, which was worse in the winter due to no leaves on the trees.

As for safety, I know people who will race to a crossing in order to try and beat the train when they hear the whistle.

I think that getting rid of the whistles would vastly help property values of homes near the trains, especially along Park and Southern. This would probably help to eventually lower crime, too, if property values along Southern went up.

This looks very promising for Memphis, and Memphis needs all the help it can get to become a place where people actually want to live.

dflack628 writes:

A cheap box of ear plugs from WalMart will greatly help you sleep at night if noise bothers you. I grew up in Germantown near the tracks and simply tuned out the noise. Most folks will, but you will always have light sleepers. Those folks just have to improvise or move somewhere quieter.

zbo4prez, the city pays for and builds the kind of crossings it wants and the railroads maintain them.

As far as I'm concerned, if Memphians keep complaining about the railroads, they'll do like other businesses, moving on to other cities. Railroads bring huge money to this city. I personally wish we had more passenger train service. I'd prefer that to the pesky airlines.

BradleyToulie writes:

in response to tvguymem#206468:

How does blowing the horns stop some moron from weaving around crossing gates? I can see using the horns if there aren't any gates or lights, but common sense on the driver's part has got to be a factor in this equation.

They should remove the gates, and stop blowing the horns. Let nature take it's course.

That's the problem with our society, everything it designed to protect the least common denominator, and doesn't allow any chlorine in the gene pool. The LCD is preserved and allowed to pass defective genes to another generation. Idiots who are too stupid to know not to try and beat a train are allowed to reproduce and vote. That's one of the reason we as a nation are in the toilet.

The good of the many should outweigh the good of the few. Our society is suffering because the LCD is preserved.

no1hd#311467 writes:

in response to JM2:

It's not true that "you get used to it (the noise of trains and planes)." I have lived in the Memphis area for over 20 years and in different neighborhoods under flight paths and near the train. I never got used to either noise. I am still awakened occasionally at night by Fed Ex planes, even with the AC running. In the winter, I am still awakened occasionally by the trains, even though I am miles away from the train. I choose to live in a relatively quiet area, and I sleep much better because of my choice. (I take very good care of my hearing, which may be why I hear noises so well. I don't think people realize that hearing loss is a real issue in today's world.)

I would buy a house in a heartbeat along Park if the trains stopped the whistles. As it is though, no way. I lived a half mile from Park at one point and for five years, I endured the train whistle, which was worse in the winter due to no leaves on the trees.

As for safety, I know people who will race to a crossing in order to try and beat the train when they hear the whistle.

I think that getting rid of the whistles would vastly help property values of homes near the trains, especially along Park and Southern. This would probably help to eventually lower crime, too, if property values along Southern went up.

This looks very promising for Memphis, and Memphis needs all the help it can get to become a place where people actually want to live.

Yep, do all you can to make memphis more livable..Take the railroad and all it brings, then we will be detroit all over again..People that hate to hear trains should not move where they make noise, not that is the solution..

8675309 writes:

in response to cytiger:

Oh, and the first time an accident happens in a "quiet zone" and Norfolk Southern throws its hands up and says "don't sue us, sue the city", that will be the end of quiet zones.

lawsuits don't work at crossings, unless the crossing hasn't been maintained for sufficient visibility. RR tracks in themselves are assumed to be notice that a train might be coming at any time, and drivers must look both ways before crossing. even if there are crossing lights or bells that failed to work, the driver won't win a lawsuit if visibility was sufficient to see a train coming. (RR's have powerful lobbies and basically write their own laws).

still, my personal view is that we won't need bells, lights and horns if drivers are taught to respect the danger at RR crossings and to look both ways before crossing.

PastMaster writes:

There is one happy group welcoming "rail quiet zones": all the parasites that are accident and injury lawyers. As soon as this becomes law, all the ambulance chasers are going to start running television commercials about the mean guilty rich railroads that are trying to kill and cheat the poor injured. The Heavy Hitter will be there in a minute.

I was a first line supervisor for years in the railroad industry and frankly every crossing accident I saw was the result of stupidity on the part of drivers trying to beat the train to save a few seconds.

WhiginLaw writes:

in response to OldHippieChick:

I lived about 15 yards from the railroad line when I was in college. After about a week, I no longer heard the trains. I lived directly under one of FedEx's flight paths. The only time it woke me up was the first time that FedEx did NOT fly out on a weekday due to weather. The human mind is capable of amazing things, including filtering extraneous, expected, understood noises.

Living at CBU is a double-whammy, with the train behind and the fed-ex jets above... But you get used to it. When I moved back home after my first year at CBU, everything felt too quiet.. I was used to the constant noise, stopping a conversation because the jet above us just hit the brakes... but in areas like East Memphis... it is ridiculous. I was trying to buy a suit at the Men's Warehouse out there and could not talk to the salesman over the whistles then the train noise...

ProgressiveMemphian (Inactive) writes:

One public policy solution which has been proposed to limit green house gases and thus protect the environment is to implement a carbon footprint surcharge. Individuals or companies which use more carbon based fuel would have to pay more, which would serve as both a disincentive to pollute, but also as a source of funding to help improve the environment.

Since what we're really talking about here is noise pollution, perhaps a similar economic model could be employed. It would be quite easy to collect data regarding the frequency, duration, and volume of train horns from devices installed in engines, and these could be uploaded to an agency for tracking purposes. Rail lines would then be incentivized to identify alternatives to noisy rail travel, and the funding from such programs could be used to help provide noise insulation for neighboring homes.

8675309 writes:

in response to PastMaster:

There is one happy group welcoming "rail quiet zones": all the parasites that are accident and injury lawyers. As soon as this becomes law, all the ambulance chasers are going to start running television commercials about the mean guilty rich railroads that are trying to kill and cheat the poor injured. The Heavy Hitter will be there in a minute.

I was a first line supervisor for years in the railroad industry and frankly every crossing accident I saw was the result of stupidity on the part of drivers trying to beat the train to save a few seconds.

PastMaster, keep in mind that those "parasites" probably lose their cases!

Myuncleusedtolovemebutshedied writes:

Be nice if they could do the same about these god-forsaken FedEx planes that bathe Memphis in noise 24/7.

Allie writes:

I used to live in the now-defunct Ridgeway Trace apartments backing onto the railroad near St. Francis (where Target is today.) I can tell you that when you're that close, the train horn is not the issue. The sound of the train itself moving is the issue, particularly when they stop, back up, and put on new cars. But for all that, after a month, you barely even notice. When I first moved to my new house I couldn't sleep because it was too quiet.

However, I don't see a downside to quiet zones. Almost every crossing inside the city has lights and rails already - why are horns necessary?

Firebird writes:

A typical way of preparing a quiet-zone crossing is to have four gates, two on each side of the tracks, so that vehicles can't weave around gates and across the tracks.

This is a stupid move,
Leave the gates as they are. This way if someone is hit by a train when the gates are down and the red lights are on, and they are working properly it is their own fault and the Railroad Company should not be liable. Horn or no horn.

I stop at least 3 car lengths from a R/R track when a train is coming. Have you seen what happens when a train derails at 40-50 MPH?
I see people stop as close as they can to the gate.
Talk to an engineer and he will tell you some time they hit as many as three vehicles on a run to Chattanooga from Memphis.

CamoAndAmmo (Inactive) writes:

in response to ProgressiveMemphian:

One public policy solution which has been proposed to limit green house gases and thus protect the environment is to implement a carbon footprint surcharge. Individuals or companies which use more carbon based fuel would have to pay more, which would serve as both a disincentive to pollute, but also as a source of funding to help improve the environment.

Since what we're really talking about here is noise pollution, perhaps a similar economic model could be employed. It would be quite easy to collect data regarding the frequency, duration, and volume of train horns from devices installed in engines, and these could be uploaded to an agency for tracking purposes. Rail lines would then be incentivized to identify alternatives to noisy rail travel, and the funding from such programs could be used to help provide noise insulation for neighboring homes.

Dude, is there anything you see or read about that you don't think government needs to meddle with?

Ambrose writes:

How about we force the railroad to cut the grass in the railroad right of way along Southern and Poplar every 30 days. I know of no city in North America that allows the grass and weeds in their public right of ways and/or railroad easements to get this high. I drive down Southern every single day and it's disgraceful that the city allows this to happen. If I lived on Southern and had to look at 6 to 8 foot high weeds out my front door every day I'd be even more furious than I already am about this. Drive east on Park Avenue past MUS onto Poplar Pike and you can see where Memphis stops and Germantown starts. It's not because there is a sign there it's because the railroad right of way area is overgrown in Memphis and perfectly cut and edged once you enter Germantown. How about it Mayor? Get the grass cut.

tesla89 writes:

in response to ProgressiveMemphian:

One public policy solution which has been proposed to limit green house gases and thus protect the environment is to implement a carbon footprint surcharge. Individuals or companies which use more carbon based fuel would have to pay more, which would serve as both a disincentive to pollute, but also as a source of funding to help improve the environment.

Since what we're really talking about here is noise pollution, perhaps a similar economic model could be employed. It would be quite easy to collect data regarding the frequency, duration, and volume of train horns from devices installed in engines, and these could be uploaded to an agency for tracking purposes. Rail lines would then be incentivized to identify alternatives to noisy rail travel, and the funding from such programs could be used to help provide noise insulation for neighboring homes.

Oh for heaven's sake, you've never seen a problem for which more government isn't the solution, have you? Do you suppose that the mass of humanity would just sit down and starve, absent some benevelent government agency?

Guess what, those railroads were here long before all those neighborhoods were built. When folks bought those homes, they knew the trains were there. Why should the taxpayers of today subsidize a program to increase other people's property values? 10 years to wait for some hypothetical payback on a multi-million dollar investment today is not a good use of taxpayer money in today's environment.

Wake__Up writes:

Can't wait for the "noise" about to come from Collierville/Piperton. Rail hump yards and intermodal hubs aren't exactly quiet places. Wonder who got paid to look the other way on that one?

Nice place for truck stop expansion. The horns will be the least of their problems......

datGuy writes:

Chicago is the largest rail hub in the US - and there's no whistles period. There's no need to upgrade the gates here. If you have a gate, it's good enough. There's no special gates there. If someone drives around it and is squished, so be it. It happens a couple of times a year there when a commuter train hits someone. End the whistles!

datGuy writes:

"Most crossings already have flashing lights and a pair of gates. A typical way of preparing a quiet-zone crossing is to have four gates, two on each side of the tracks, so that vehicles can't weave around gates and across the tracks." - this not true. I can't think of a single double gated track anywhere in chicago and the trains move FAR faster.

new_skool91 writes:

in response to Ivan:

"Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance..."

-Paul Simon

I'm not sure how far we live from the track - maybe about a mile - but you can hear them in the distance at our house (or at least we could before we had our now 16 month old and honestly in the past 1.5 years I couldn't tell you the last time I heard that train, now that I think about it, LOL!) and I did think that the horn was actually relaxing while falling asleep at night.

jj212 writes:

in response to Firebird:

A typical way of preparing a quiet-zone crossing is to have four gates, two on each side of the tracks, so that vehicles can't weave around gates and across the tracks.

This is a stupid move,
Leave the gates as they are. This way if someone is hit by a train when the gates are down and the red lights are on, and they are working properly it is their own fault and the Railroad Company should not be liable. Horn or no horn.

I stop at least 3 car lengths from a R/R track when a train is coming. Have you seen what happens when a train derails at 40-50 MPH?
I see people stop as close as they can to the gate.
Talk to an engineer and he will tell you some time they hit as many as three vehicles on a run to Chattanooga from Memphis.

Or even if someone rear-ends you when you're the first car stopped at a RR crossing, it's nice to have a couple car lengths between your car and the tracks.

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