To the Editor:

Quiet zone policy in the United States is overdue for a serious refresh [“Voorheesville quiet zone stalls over CSX fees, typical of nationwide conflicts,” The Altamont Enterprise, May 2, 2025].

Current train horn rules trace back to the late 1970s, when Florida allowed local municipalities to ban nighttime train whistles — so long as crossings had gates, bells, and lights. Many cities implemented nighttime whistle bans, but the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) later overturned them after publishing a study that linked the bans to higher accident rates. That study became the basis for the nationwide rules we have today.

But that foundational study had a critical flaw: It ignored the public health and safety harm from train horn noise, especially at night.

Nobody disputes that train horns have a role to play when there’s a real, immediate threat. But routine horn use in the absence of a clear and present danger is a different question.

The sleep disruption, stress, and long-term health impacts of transportation noise have been well-documented over the last 20 years, showing transportation noise costs lives. Recent research out of Brigham Young University — using standard public-health methods — shows that train horns may be doing more harm than good, with the public health toll exceeding safety benefits by an order of magnitude.

Yet the FRA has never incorporated this kind of analysis into its policymaking. That’s especially striking given that the same agency launched a major sleep-awareness campaign for railroad employees in 2012. Why promote the importance of sleep for employees while ignoring the sleep deprivation imposed on nearby residents?

It’s time for that contradiction to be addressed.

The FRA should update its rules to account for the net public health impact of train horn use. And railroads like CSX should re-evaluate their posture toward quiet zones. Right now, they’re using exorbitant maintenance fees as a barrier. Communities like Voorheesville have done the work. The final hurdle should not be a financial wall thrown up by the railroad.

If CSX and others are serious about public safety, that includes the safety of people trying to sleep at night. A fair resolution is possible. But it starts with recognizing that silence, when safe, is not a luxury — it’s a public health imperative.

Scott Murff

Lehi, Utah

Editor’s note: Scott Murff, is a professor at Brigham Young University, a former Federal Regulator, Risk Management consultant, and founder of the National Quiet Zone Association.