As an identified safety measure by the Federal Railroad Administration, freight and commuter rail train horns will be sounding multiple times a day through all grade crossings from Ogden to Provo. The crossings have previously been designated quiet zones through city applications, but these are currently out of FRA compliance, pending maintenance. According to a letter from the FRA to sponsor cities Woods Cross and Lehi City, who applied for the applications on behalf of multiple cities, cities must complete these repairs before the quiet zones — which have been in place since 2008 — can resume.

Rail safety is critical — it only takes seconds for tragedy to strike. Union Pacific and Utah Transit Authority’s compliance of horn sounding keeps people safe in areas where things like striping, signage, curbing and other enhanced safety measures by applicant cities do not meet FRA quiet zone standards.

While cities are responsible for filing quiet zone applications and maintaining crossings to keep compliant with the FRA, UTA and Union Pacific are here to help. We know this necessary safety measure will be a disruption to communities, and UTA and Union Pacific are offering support to cities to restore their FRA compliance at these quiet zone crossings.

As cities determine how they respond to the FRA findings, UTA and Union Pacific must instruct our operators to sound horns every time we cross these areas. When the cities receive compliance approval again from the FRA, freight and commuter trains will resume quiet zone protocols.

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