The village of Mundelein, Ill., would like to reduce the noise of train horns, the Chicago Tribune reports. Board members recently hired Lisle, Ill.-based Patrick Engineering Inc., who will develop  a plan that will look into the establishment of what's known as a Federal Railroad Administration  train horn quiet zone.

In the last few years, the Federal Rail Administration changed its rules on quiet zones so that if a railway crossing meets the criteria for being safe and protected, a horn can be silenced. Mundelein has seven railway crossings that use an automated horn system that comes on to warn motorists and pedestrians that a train is approaching.

"It's still noisy at the crossings" said Mike Flynn, assistant village administrator. "They (public) see now that it can even be quieter so residents say why not have a real quiet zone."

The automated horn system was put in place about six years ago to reduce noise at the crossings. Before the automated horns, train engineers would blast their horns on approach but with four of the crossings within a mile of each other, the engineer's horn "would appear to be one long train," said Flynn.

With 37 freight trains traveling through the village each day, the switch to the automated horn system keeps the noise focused on the intersection and was deemed a huge improvement. However in keeping the system, the village is now responsible for the cost of its maintenance and repairs.

To become eligible for a horn free quiet zone, the village is in the process of making improvements at some of its crossings to beef up safety requirements. For instance, the median will be extended at the Route 60 crossing as well as raising the height of the median.
 At the Allanson Road crossing, the median also needs to be extended so it meets federal rules for eligibility. The work is expected to take place next spring.