Are you in Delray?  Ssssshhh!

Published July 1st, 2008

By Dale M. King
CITY EDITOR

Some people find the blast of a train horn to be nostalgic, recalling the days of steam locomotives, hobo jungles and Woodie Guthrie songs.

Others find it downright intrusive.

A few years ago, Boca Raton decided to quiet the train horns along the CSX Railroad line – the track that carries freight traffic, Amtrak and Tri-Rail trains. It did so by following national railroad guidelines and improve the barriers and signals at all five train crossings.

Now, Delray Beach is planning to extinguish the wail of trains as they pass through grade crossings in that community.

“The city is in the process of establishing a quiet zone along the entire length of the CSX tracks within Delray Beach,” said City Manager Dave Harden. 

He told the City Commission recently that one requirement of creating a quiet zone is to “complete a field diagnostic review of existing conditions.”  The city hired Marlin Engineering to do the work.

Harden said the review shows that the gate arms at the CSX crossings on SW 10th Street and Lake Ida Road need to be extended.  An engineering assessment has been provided to CSX to perform the necessary engineering “so that these two crossings are in compliance with Federal Railroad Administration requirements.”

He noted that even though Lake Ida Road is a county street, the county is no providing funding for the grade crossing improvements.

The field diagnostic review says the eastbound and westbound gates at the Lake Ida crossing need to be lengthened, “No Train Horn” signs must be placed on both sides of the crossing and pavement markings indicating a grade crossing ahead must be put on the road.  The gate arms must cross all four lanes of the road.

Similar work must be done at the SW 10th Street/Lowson Boulevard crossing.

At the West Atlantic crossing, the gates already extend across the six lanes of traffic.  Only the “No Train Horn” signs are needed.

The train track that crosses Linton Boulevard needs “No Train Horn” signs and the addition of a 40 mph speed limit sign.

In Delray, as in Boca Raton, the quiet zone does not apply to Florida East Coast trains, which use a different track.