The quest to establish railroad quiet zones in Oak Lawn has inched one step closer to reality this week, with the federal government outlawing train horn blasts at two village railroad crossings.
The Federal Railroad Administration has approved “quiet zones” at railroad crossings for the tracks that carry Metra’s Southwest Service Line at 95th Street and Cicero Avenue.
The official designation is supposed to come within three weeks, but federal officials indicated the trains are allowed to stay silent before the formal establishment of the quiet zones, which prohibits train conductors from blasting their horns in designated residential areas.
Engineers always have the authority to blow the horns if they feel there’s a safety hazard.
Other local rail crossings, including those at 52nd, Cook, Central and Kilbourn avenues in Oak Lawn, as well as Duffy Avenue in Hometown, are slated to get the quiet zone designation, but local officials say paperwork delays stalled the process.
Still, officials said the latest news marks a step in the right direction.
“I don’t believe that living or working near a busy rail line should mean having to put up with train horns at all hours,” U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-3rd), of Western Springs, said in a statement. “I’m going to continue working with Oak Lawn and the FRA to bring peace and quiet to everyone who resides along the Southwest Service tracks.”
Read the original article from SouthTown Star.
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