The lonely drone of a nighttime train horn in Normal could be soon be a thing of the past.
The town is planning to apply for a quiet zone from the Federal Railroad Administration. The designation would cut down the hours a train could sound its horn, eliminating late night and early morning hours.
On GLT's Sound Ideas, council member Kevin McCarthy told Mike McCurdy he hears from constituents who are bothered by trains. Typically he hears from from people who live near the railway.
"One morning I literally looked at the clock and it was between :45 and :60 seconds that the guy was on the horn. That can be a problem. I'm mile and a quarter from it and I can hear it and get woken by it. Imagine people a half a block away," said McCarthy.
High speed rail crossing upgrades underway, with new automobile and pedestrian gates, will make the town eligible to apply for a quiet zone. Mayor Chris Koos said before the Town can apply, all of the upgrades must be complete.
"Spring of next year is probably likely (for construction completion), then we go through an application process with the Federal Railroad Administration and it will probably take them 60 to 90 days to render a decision on that," said Koos.
Railway crossings on Mulberry and College avenues near the Ace Hardware are currently closed for upgrade work. The crossings should reopen as work is expected to suspend for the winter. Construction would resume in spring of 2017.
In a separate, but related issue, the council approved amending the town noise ordinance to include power equipment, in addition to "sound amplified devices" and establish a quiet time from 9:30 PM to 7 AM.