From the City of Grand Island:
Although the 21-day notice of Quiet Zone Establishment period ended May 5, citizens will continue to hear the sound of train horns for a few more days in the Downtown Quiet Zone.
All improvements needed for allowing the railroad to cease the routine sounding of horns at the Walnut, Pine, and Oak Street crossings were completed on April 13; however an equipment malfunction has occurred and is in the process of being repaired.
In the early hours of May 5, when the wayside horn system at Walnut Street was set to active mode, a microphone that detects the sound of the wayside horns was determined to be malfunctioning.
This malfunction caused the system to go into “fail” mode, indicating to approaching trains the need to sound horns for this crossing.
Streets Division signal staff are working with the manufacturer, Campbell Technology Corporation (CTC) of Fort Worth, Texas, to immediately replace the faulty microphone.
A representative from CTC is flying in early this week to address the problem.
In addition, a local Union Pacific Railroad official advised Public Works staff that it may take a few days before all local train engineers become familiar with the quiet zone.
This is a corridor where there are frequent trespassers and train engineers continue to report observing pedestrians and motorists attempting to go across the crossing when gates are down.
This is of particular concern to local railroad officials at the “silent” crossings at Pine and Oak Streets, where audible warnings are no longer needed.
Public Works requests patience from the public as work continues to resolve the issues with the wayside horns and as the railroad becomes accustomed to the new quiet zone.
