Innovative Design Solutions for a Comprehensive Train Whistle Quiet Zone Application

Cities of Moorhead, Minnesota, and Fargo, North Dakota

Getting to know your neighbors and finding ways to accommodate their unique needs and traditions is one of the first rules for making a neighborhood attractive and livable. But what if your "neighbor" is a heavily-used freight railway, whose need to safely and efficiently move large, long trains across local streets poses obvious conflicts with the needs of the people who live and shop there? The Cities of Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, faced just such a dilemma, and their solution is a model for planners and engineers who are struggling to deal with rail conflicts in their communities.

Planning for a Quiet Zone

Divided by the Red River of the North, which also serves as the boundary between Minnesota and North Dakota, the Cities of Fargo and Moorhead have a long history of working together to solve regional problems. Freight rail operations have been part of the fabric of community life in these cities from their earliest days; in fact, the Fargo-Moorhead area grew because it was a hub for rail transportation. However, significant changes to the two downtowns and to the overall metropolitan transportation system made it increasingly apparent that a comprehensive solution was needed to address increasing conflicts between pedestrians and drivers and trains (there have been more than 10 pedestrian fatalities along the railway over the past five years).

"The Quiet Zone will encourage developers to invest in residential buildings downtown. In addition, we have reasonable expectations of substantial multi-million dollar growth in retail/commercial space downtown."

John Rowell, Chairman, Metro Rail Task Force and Moorhead City Councilman

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) data, later adjusted by BNSF (August 2005), indicated the following downtown rail impacts:

• Rail movements on the northern trackage (Prosper line) averaged 25 trains a day.
• Rail movements on the southern mainline trackage (KO line) were 58 trains per day, down from 70 trains per day in 1997.
• Maximum train speeds averaged from 20 miles per hour (mph) on the Prosper up to 40 mph on the KO line.
• Approximately 45 percent of these metropolitan train movements occurred between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
• Based on field surveys, train horns created noise levels ranging from 57 to 106 decibels (dBA).

Implementing A Quiet Zone

Planning for the "Metropolitan Train Whistle Quiet Zone" began over seven years ago with a proposal for a bi-state Comprehensive Rail Safety Program. The program was created to accomplish several objectives, including mitigating auto-rail conflicts, improving public safety, and revitalizing the two downtowns by minimizing the impact of rail operations. In addition, as part of a downtown redevelopment planning process, public meetings were held where business leaders stated that rail noise had to be reduced if central business district revitalization efforts were to be successful. The project gained momentum when the FRA announced plans to publish a rule providing guidance for establishing train whistle quiet zones. The Fargo-Moorhead quiet zone will be the longest, most complex quiet zone and the only bi-state, bi-jurisdictional quiet zone in the nation. It will include 20 public and private at-grade rail crossings and cover over four track miles through the two downtowns.

Working in partnership with an area railroad and assisted by SRF Consulting Group, Inc., the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments and its Metropolitan Rail Issues Task Force prepared design plans for the 20 at-grade rail crossings. During multiple diagnostic field surveys, various design solutions were proposed to ensure pedestrian and driver safety. Obtaining feedback from citizens, business owners, and other stakeholders was an important part of this process. The project was approved by FRA in September 2003 as a demonstration project, and the cities are presently completing the necessary paperwork under the FRA's Final Rule to be "re-approved." It is anticipated the metro Quiet Zone will be operational in 2006.

Vehicle Safety Measures

A range of safety measures will be implemented to ensure that the quiet zone is approved under the FRA's Final Train Horn Rule. Some of the supplemental (SSM) and alternative (ASM) safety measures include installing four-quadrant gates, closures, medians, and three-quadrant gates with a median along the rail corridor. All of these improvements comply with the FRA's requirements.

Exhibits

• Exhibit A2A - Proposed Improvements, 4th Street (PDF)
• Exhibit A5A - Proposed Improvements, 6th Street (PDF)
• Exhibit A11A - Proposed Improvements, Robert Street (PDF)
• Exhibit A16A - Proposed Improvements, 11th Street (PDF)

The Fargo-Moorhead quiet zone project is a national showcase for demonstrating how effective rail safety measures and train horn cessation benefit efforts to revitalize a central business district.

However, achieving a comprehensive design solution meant more than just meeting the FRA quiet zone design requirements. Although ensuring safety for drivers and pedestrians was the overarching and most pressing objective of this project, it was still important to address aesthetic and urban design issues along the corridor.

Pedestrian Safety Measures

The Cities of Fargo and Moorhead enhanced the project by also introducing innovative railscaping. In addition to the safety fencing that runs the length of the entire "sealed" corridor, landscaping and historic interpretive features along the rail line and decorative fencing will be installed to ensure that pedestrians cross the railway only at marked crossings. Pedestrian mazes will surround the pedestrian gate arms as part of the SSM improvements. These mazes have a two-fold purpose:

• Guiding pedestrians to the gate-arms controlling access across the freight rail tracks.
• Most importantly, providing an escape route for people in wheelchairs or with other mobility limitations that prevent them from ducking under the gate arms if they are trapped on the wrong side of the gate as a train approaches.

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Quiet Zone Benefits

Working in partnership with the railroad, residents, business owners, and other community stakeholders, the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments and their consultant, SRF Consulting Group, Inc., arrived at a design solution that balances a wide range of needs. The Fargo-Moorhead Quiet Zone solution will improve safety and minimize railway impacts, while addressing noise, safety, and aesthetics in a manner that fits within the context of the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. This comprehensive solution to living with freight rail in an urban community provides a model for other communities striving to live as good neighbors with heavily used rail lines.