Pennsylvania city to cue up quiet zone

The SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (JRA) has announced that a quiet zone will go into effect tomorrow in the Newberry section of Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The Williamsport City Council recently sent a notice to the Federal Railroad Administration about establishing the quiet zone, which prohibits engineers from blowing a train’s horn in the designated area. The council also submitted a notice of intent to all involved parties, including the JRA, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Lycoming Valley Railroad.
 
In March, the JRA's signal contractor completed various safety upgrades to support a quiet zone. The work involved the closing of the Depot Street grade crossing, and the installation of four-quadrant gates, safety surveillance camera systems and signal protection systems at the Arch and Howard street crossings.

The JRA’s Newberry Yard is the largest rail yard between Harrisburg and Buffalo, New York, and has a high concentration of customers and associated rail traffic, authority officials said in a quiet zone announcement.