San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria directly addressed the frustration and confusion caused by the federal government’s suspension of quiet zones.
SAN DIEGO — San Diego’s Little Italy and downtown neighborhoods are plagued by loud and excessive train horns day and night due to the federal government’s suspension of neighborhood quiet zones.
But this weekend may bring some relief to residents. The North County Transportation District suspended Coaster service from Oceanside to the Santa Fe depot in downtown San Diego on Saturday and Sunday.
Earlier this week, the North County Transit District announced scheduled service outages for scheduled maintenance and rail infrastructure work.
The suspension will prevent coasters from passing through Little Italy and downtown railroad crossings on weekends, honking their horns. However, no changes are planned for Amtrak or freight trains that pass through the area.
MTS announced Friday that trolleys will begin honking their horns as they join other trains, in accordance with federal regulations.
On Friday, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria cited the frustration and confusion caused by the Federal Railroad Administration’s suspension of the quiet zone between Laurel Street and Fifth Avenue.
“We fully recognize the distress caused to downtown residents who live near the railroad tracks by shutting down the quiet zone, and we apologize,” Gloria said in a statement. “The City is working urgently to correct deficiencies and bring quiet zone compliance.
Gloria said San Diego city officials were working Friday to complete mandatory modifications to railroad crossings in Little Italy and downtown San Diego.
The mayor’s office said crews are replacing signs, road markings and flex posts that the Federal Railroad Administration has determined are defective.
“We will work throughout the weekend until all of these tasks are completed. The remaining traffic studies needed to lift the suspension are expected to be completed by the end of January for submission to FRA assessment.” Gloria said.
The city of San Diego is working to quickly bring railroad tracks and railroad crossings into compliance, but the exact timeline for lifting quiet zone suspensions is still unclear.
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