CBS 8 has learned that the Federal Railroad Administration has issued a temporary quiet zone shutdown near the Laurel Street and 5th Avenue railroad crossing.
SAN DIEGO — Residents living in downtown San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood should prepare for excessive train horn noise after a quiet zone was suspended by federal authorities.
The Federal Railroad Administration announced a temporary suspension of the quiet zone imposed near the Laurel Street and Fifth Avenue railroad crossing in San Diego.
Officials with knowledge of the suspension said the agency suspended the quiet zone after federal rail safety experts discovered a pattern of noncompliance with quiet zone safety regulations.
CBS 8 has learned that the loud train horns that disrupted residents in downtown San Diego and Little Italy will continue until the city properly implements the necessary additional safety measures.
The specific safety measures deemed non-compliant by federal authorities near Laurel Street and Fifth Avenue are currently unknown.
Trains have resumed sounding their horns in the area “to prevent injuries and fatalities at the inevitable railroad crossing,” according to a federal official with knowledge of the suspension.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration’s website regarding quiet zones:
“When this regulation establishes a requirement for the regular sounding of locomotive horns, local governments that are able to meet certain safety requirements may designate sections of railway lines with one or more continuous public rights-of-way as “quiet”. A procedure has also been established that allows for the designation as a “Zone”. Railway overpass. If the technical requirements of the regulations are met, locomotive horns will not be routinely sounded within this quiet zone.
On Thursday afternoon, the North County Transportation District addressed the excessive noise caused by the trains in a social media post.
This is a developing story.