Edina Approves $250K for Railroad Crossing Safety Plan
The Edina City Council approved $250,000 from its 2024 surplus to fund a railroad crossing safety action plan, marking the first step toward establishing quiet zones to reduce late-night train horn noise.
The plan addresses seven street-level railroad crossings along a CPKC rail line that runs through Edina from St. Louis Park to Bloomington. While most crossings in the city use bridges or underpasses, these seven locations require trains to sound horns as they approach, creating noise issues that have intensified as the railroad has expanded nighttime operations in recent months.
To qualify for quiet zone designation, federal regulations require cities to install additional safety infrastructure at each crossing to mitigate the increased risk created by the absence of train horns. The city initially sought federal funding for the project but was unsuccessful in securing those dollars.
The approved funding will cover the required safety infrastructure improvements at all seven crossings. City officials indicated they will determine a construction schedule once the funding allocation is finalized, followed by the formal application process for quiet zone status.
The timeline for implementing quiet zones could extend several years, as the city must complete all infrastructure work before applying for the federal designation that would allow trains to operate without sounding horns through the designated areas.
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Funding Approval for Railroad Crossing Safety Action Plan
Dissent: None mentioned; the council reached a consensus to utilize $250,000 from the surplus.
Moved by Unknown [00:00] · Seconded by Unknown [00:00]
The council reviewed the necessity of self-funding the safety plan after failing to secure federal dollars. Discussion focused on the multi-step process required by federal regulations: mitigating risk with infrastructure, determining funding, and finally applying for the quiet zone designation.
In order for the city to apply for a quiet zone, we first have to mitigate the increased uh risk at each crossing that's caused by the absence of a train horn.
Source document
[Music] Relief from late night train horns could be on the horizon for Edina residents. The city is taking its first big step toward creating quiet zones by moving forward with a railroad crossing safety action plan. A rail line owned by CPKC cuts right through Edina from St. Louis Park to Bloomington. Most crossings here are bridges or underpasses, but seven crossings are still at street level, requiring trains to blast their horns as they approach. That wasn't much of an issue when trains mostly ran during the day. But in recent months, the railroad has started operating at night, waking up many nearby neighbors. In order for the city to apply for a quiet zone, we first have to mitigate the increased uh risk at each crossing that's caused by the absence of a train horn. What this means is we have to install additional safety infrastructure. We'll have to determine a source of funding for that safety infrastructure. Once that funding is determined, then we will determine a construction schedule to build that safety infrastructure and then go through the process of applying for a quiet zone. The city tried to get federal dollars to pay for the plan, but came up short. Instead, council approved $250,000 from its 2024 surplus to fund the work. It could still be many years before a quiet zone becomes a reality in Edina.
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Other Topics from This Document
Railroad Crossing Safety Action Plan and Quiet Zone Establishment
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