The silence of the trains

Flagstaff, Ariz., has long sought to establish its city as a Quiet Zone to the numerous trains that go through town. City officials predict the Quiet Zone will happen sometime in 2010, reports the Arizona Daily Sun.

Trains currently sound their horns as they approach the city’s five at-grade crossings. If the crossings are upgraded, trains would no longer have to blast away — bringing relief to residents and guests at several of the city’s motels.

Construction has been delayed over the years for a number of reasons, including delays by BNSF, a stop work order from the Arizona Corporation Commission and reconsideration of Quiet Zone solutions by the Flagstaff City Council.

The latest step in the process was accomplished earlier this week when the city hired a contractor to complete the city’s portion of the construction work.

I wouldn’t set the 2010 date in concrete, however. The city has repeatedly missed deadlines for the Quiet Zones. So if you’re planning a stayover in Flagstaff at a motel near the railroad tracks, I wouldn’t put away the earplugs just yet.

2 thoughts on “The silence of the trains

  1. When my husband and I travel Route 66 especially in the New Mexico/Arizona area, we love to see and hear the trains as we go along the road. It’s a piece of America that is all too fast disappearing. That lonesome whistle sound, especially at night, is so erie and yet wonderful at the same time, it means that there is someone going somewhere, a sound from our past. Although I can understand the residents living close to these tracks in the towns along the way that would like a little peace and quiet. Maybe there will be a happy medium.

  2. I used to live in Flagstaff,about 3-4 blocks from the tracks.At first,the trains were bothersome,but then it got in you..hard to explain. When I moved back to Phoenix,something was missing,and I couldn’t sleep right for awhile.Maybe it was the horns,maybe it was the sound of the steel wheels on the tracks…

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