Feds Let Trains Ditch the Horn at Passenger Stops
Published Date: 7/1/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
The FRA is giving railroads more freedom to decide when to sound their horns at passenger stations. Railroads can now set their own rules without having to follow strict federal horn-sounding requirements. This change helps railroads manage noise better and doesn’t add extra costs or deadlines right now.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Railroads Allowed to Set Horn Policies
The rule says no Federal regulation would require a railroad to sound a locomotive horn just because there is a passenger station. Railroads can decide their own policies for when to sound horns at passenger stations through their operating rules.
Minimum Horn Sound Levels Would Not Apply
If a railroad decides to sound a horn at a passenger station, the proposed rule says the minimum sound level requirements in FRA's Railroad Locomotive Safety Standards would not apply to that horn sound. That means the FRA's minimum-volume rules would not govern the sound produced by horns at passenger stations.
No New Costs or Deadlines Now
The summary states this change does not add extra costs or deadlines at this time. That means railroads are not being required to make new expenditures or meet new compliance deadlines as part of this proposed rule now.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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