Quiet Zones Update.pdf

 

QUIET ZONES

 

On April 13, 2004, the Richmond City Council unanimously passed Resolution 62-04 directing the city manager and city attorney to initiate an application for a Quiet Zone throughout the City of Richmond.

 

On January 25, 2005, Assistant City Attorney Wayne Nishioka made a report to the City Council, attached to this email as a PDF file, on progress toward establishing Quiet Zones in Richmond pursuant to The Federal Railroad Administration Interim Final Rule on the Use of Locomotive Horns at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings, which can be found at http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/1318.

 

In short, the Federal Railroad Administration Interim Final Rule on the Use of Locomotive Horns at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings provides: “New Quiet Zones may be created if: (1) All public crossings are equipped with flashing lights and gates; and either– (2) After adjusting for increased risk created by silencing the train horn, the average risk at the crossings is less than the national average for gated crossings where the train horn sounds (National Significant Risk Threshold or “NSRT”); or

Safety improvements are made that reduce the risk to a level either less than the NSRT or a level that compensates for loss of the train horn as a warning device.”

 

In his report, Nishioka wrote: “The federal government postponed finalizing its rules on Quiet Zones until April 2005. Notwithstanding the postponement of the final rules, the staff continues to take the steps necessary in anticipation of the implementation of Quiet Zones in Richmond. One the rules are finalized and once staff has been able to complete all the required prerequisite steps, the Council will be asked to look at the policy recommendations and fiscal impacts of having Quiet Zones.”

 

Nishioka recommends three Quiet Zones, North Area (John, Griffin, Atlas and Giant), West Area (Point Richmond area) and South Area (Marina Bay area). Nishioka has laid a good foundation, and I intend to push for being ready to go on April 1 rather than waiting until then to start preparing an application.

 

LONG TRAINS

 

There are two solutions to long trains. The simpler, quicker and cheaper solution is for BNSF to move their traffic to the Port of Oakland over Union Pacific (UP) lines in the Richmond area instead of through south Richmond. They already use theses lines east of Martinez. According to BNSF sources, UP is blocking the switchover. The Federal Surface Transportation Board has some powers that can persuade UP to cooperate. The good news is that the Richmond City Council passed Resolution 62-04 directing the city manager and city attorney to file a Petition for Declaratory Order with the Surface Transportation Board requesting that the Board compel UP and BNSF to share tracks in a way that will eliminate the passage of long, through trains through south Richmond. The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors passed Resolution 2003-196 that is similar. The bad news is that neither the city manager nor the city attorney has taken any action.

 

Resolution 62-04 also directed the city manager and city attorney to file a Petition for Declaratory Order with the Surface Transportation Board requesting that the Board compel UP and BNSF to share tracks in a way that will eliminate the passage of long, through trains through south Richmond. The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors passed Resolution 2003-196 that is similar. The bad news is that neither the city manager nor the city attorney has taken any action.

 

At the February 1 City Council meeting, the Redevelopment Agency was authorized to issue an RFP for a feasibility study to construct a grade separation in the Marina Bay area and to further explore the “Richmond Field Station bypass”  to alleviate the frequent and lengthy train blockages.

 

I have placed an item on the February 8 agenda requesting similar authority to expand the study to the Parchester Village area. On February 15, I will once again ask the City Council to direct the city manager and city attorney to act on direction given in Resolution 62-04 to file a Petition for Declaratory Order with the Surface Transportation Board.