Waltham Residents To Protest Train Horns, Loss Of Quiet Zone

WALTHAM, MA — A group of residents, upset that Waltham has lost its designation as a "Quiet Zone," plan to protest near one of the railroad crossings Monday, as city officials scramble to reinstate the designation.

During a nationwide review in April, the Federal Railway Administration determined that city at-grade train crossings lacked required "supplemental safety measures" that the city was asked to have going back to 2008, and thus no longer qualified as a quiet zone, according to the agency.

So, for the past month, train whistles and honking have sounded off at every train crossing in the city. Without a quiet zone, train engineers are required to sound horns or whistles for at least 15 seconds as they approach intersections at Beaver, Elm, Moody and South street intersections.

"The purpose of the rally is to call additional attention to the importance of stopping the noise," said Joshua Winer a local artist who is helping to organize the rally.

Previously: Waltham Scrambles To Have Feds Reinstate City As Quiet Zone..

Winer said to his understanding the mayor and city officials were caught by surprise and are making efforts to get the train crossings up to speed on safety measures.

Winer hopes the protest will catch the eye of someone at the Federal Railroad Administration and weigh in their decision.

"If we're lucky, potentially this will reach someone who has influence at the Federal level to show the importance of our message, which will have an impact on stopping the horns," Winer said.

McCarthy submitted engineering drawings and a plan on how the city plans to ensure each of the four at-grade railroad crossings in the city are safe to the FRA last week.

The rally is scheduled to happen between 5: 30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday, in front of the Tap Tap Cafe. Winer said he expects six trains will pass through during that time.

"Bring ear plugs if you need to," he said. "If we lose this battle, this noise is very likely to continue for more than a year."

Previously: Quiet Zone Revoked: Why Trains In Waltham Are Honking ...

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.