Presentation to City of Palo Alto Rail Committee on Quiet Zones March 22, 2017

Background Atherton Palo Alto Ave Overview Background Atherton Palo Alto Ave

1 Background

FRA Locomotive Horn Rules (FRA Fact Sheet) Locomotive engineers must sound train horns for a minimum of 15-20 seconds, in advance of all public grade crossings, except: when it is within ¼ mile of the crossing (whichever is less) 0.25 mi 0.25 mi

FRA Locomotive Horn Rules (FRA Fact Sheet) Exceptions (continued): If a train stops in close proximity to a crossing, no horn when the train begins to move again A “good faith” exception at locations where engineers can’t precisely estimate their arrival at a crossing

Establishing a Quiet Zone (FRA Fact Sheet) Only local governments or public agencies may establish a quiet zone, not the owner (i.e. not CPUC, etc) Must be at least ½ mile in length, and have at least one public grade crossing – cant be at random location Public grade crossing in a quiet zone must be equipped with the standard or conventional automatic warning devices (i.e. flashing lights and gates)for safety Local governments (City, County) must work in cooperation with the railroad that owns the track, and the appropriate state transportation authority to assess the risk

Current State of Quiet Zones Currently 46 established FRA quiet zones in CA (FRA web report) 25 in Nor CA, including 4 along the Peninsula: 2 Campbell (UP, SCCT), 1 San Jose (SCCT), 1 Atherton (JPB) Local study: City of San Mateo train horn issue studied extensively (City of San Mateo Staff Report, Sept 2013) Concluded UP horns louder than Caltrain Sound is within FRA standards Establishment of Quiet Zone is an option Cost of Implementation can range from $25K to $5M, excluding maintenance costs. Key factors: ease of adding median barrier to local street, existing equipment, no. of lanes, location

UPRR Quiet Zone Costs (UPRR Website) Public authorities are responsible for the cost of preliminary engineering, construction, maintenance and replacement of active warning devices Public authorities are required to reimburse the railroad for all project development and engineering design costs $ 5,000 per wayside horn location $10,000 per crossing signal location

UPRR Quiet Zone Costs (UPRR Website) Public authorities are required to guarantee reimbursement to the railroad for all actual costs Examples of costs as estimated by Union Pacific: Four-Quadrant Gate Systems: $300K-$500K Basic Active Warning System*: $185K-$400K (*includes Flashing Lights and Gates, Constant Warning Time, Power Out Indicator and Cabin) Basic Inter-Connect: $5K-$15K Annual Maintenance: $4K-$10K

2 Atherton

Fair Oaks Lane - Atherton Station (Atherton website) Two lane road Adjacent to station Atherton Quiet Zone Issues: Adjacent to Atherton Station Platform Station Platform has track crossings to center platform Adjacent grade crossing intersections still require horn

Atherton Quiet Zone Intersection Atherton Quiet Zone Improvements: Quad Gates plus Ped Gates Loop Detectors Signage

Quiet Zone in Atherton Atherton Quiet Zone Study: Quiet Zone Violations – Fines of $1,000 or $2,000 Horns still required at adjacent grade crossings Horn can be used for safety reasons

3 Palo Alto Avenue

Palo Alto Ave - Quiet Zone Currently does not meet criteria to be a “Quiet Zone” Need to have for implementation: Accident study Risk assessment Meet with jurisdictions: FRA, CPUC & JPB Agree on safety measures Could include quad gates, intrusion detection, pre-emption devices, signage, fencing, warning lights, train signal house

Palo Alto Ave - Quiet Zone Palo Alto Ave is less than 1,000 feet from Palo Alto Station Station includes side platforms, undercrossing, and fencing Pedestrian safety/warnings could be an issue

Palo Alto Ave - Quiet Zone Palo Alto Ave Grade Crossing: Ped gates and crossing on north side only Single vehicle gate in each direction No vehicle detection within the crossing

Palo Alto Ave - Quiet Zone Palo Alto Ave Looking East Palo Alto Ave Grade Crossing: Existing median islands Track crossing is “skewed” Bicycle traffic to be considered

Questions?