By Andrew Coen
Acting LIRR President Ray Kenny has agreed to conduct a pilot program on the Far Rockaway branch during the winter months which, if successful, would pave the way for an island-wide improvement of noise levels from trains.
In an Oct. 30 letter to State Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), who has been pushing the MTA to reduce train-horn noise in the Five Towns, Kenny said that he will explore the feasibility of instructing train engineers on the Far Rockaway branch to reduce the train horns from the current range of 96 to 110 decibels to 96 to 100 decibels. The LIRR has operated at the wide range as a result of new federal mandates which require the levels to be no lower than 96 decibels at a distance of 100 feet from the track.
In addition, Kenny announced that all eight M-7 cars that service the Far Rockaway branch will be equipped with a sound reduction system that will allow for more directional horn sounding and prevent the noise from moving to the side of the tracks toward residents' homes. Kenny said the design, fabrication and installation of the sound reduction devices should be completed by mid December for testing in the winter, which is an advantageous time for the pilot because the trains will exposed to the harshest of elements. Testing will continue through April of 2007 and if
successful, the LIRR will modify the M-7 fleet to the new configuration and implement the system throughout the island.
The Far Rockaway branch includes stops in Far Rockaway, Inwood, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett, Gibson and Valley Stream.
"It's definitely a positive step," said Skelos spokesman Tom Dunham.
Kenny also said he plans to contact officials from the village of Cedarhurst, which has numerous homes in close proximity to the railroad tracks, to see if they would be willing to join the LIRR to go to Washington D.C., in a bid to get a waiver for the community to permit engineers not to sound their horns as often. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) introduced legislation late last year that would end the practice of requiring trains to sound their horns at crossings during non-rush hour periods.
Cedarhurst mayor Andrew Parise said he would fully support the village joining with the LIRR in seeking a waiver. "Anything that alleviates the noise I am for," said Parise.
The plan to lower the decibel level of train horns, along with the attempt at a waiver for Cedarhurst, was welcome news to Train Noise Abatement Association (TNAA) President Jack Mevorach and those who reside near the Far Rockaway branch stations.
"This is a breakthrough," said Mevorach. "The breakthrough is that the acting president of the LIRR is acknowledging that train noise impacts the health of people exposed to it."
Mevorach credited Skelos and his chief of staff, Tracy Lloyd, for their efforts to improve the train noise. "Dean Skelos has done everything we've asked and more," said Mevorach. "He hasn't refused a single request."
Shira Wiseman lives a half-mile from the Woodmere station but she said the last two years it has seemed like she's right next door to the trains as a result of their horn blasts. She said she is hopeful that lowering the decibels combined with installing the noise reduction device will provide some relief for residents. "It would be a good start," said Wiseman of the changes. "Hopefully, if they will keep their word on this, there will be relief for everyone."
Kenny's Oct. 30 announcement is the third in a string of positive news for the TNAA and area residents in two months. On Aug. 17 the Federal Railroad Administration decided to ease regulations of horn blasts giving more flexibility to engineers not to blast the horns as much on tracks where stations are in close proximity to each other like on the LIRR's Far Rockaway branch.
Under the changes, which become mandatory on Dec. 15, engineers will be required to reduce the number of times they blow train horns when departing from a station.
The TNAA also received a boost in its efforts to reduce train noise when the LIRR took down the north bell on the warning gate next to the Cedarhurst train station after complaints from residents.
The civic group began with mainly members from the Five Towns but has since expanded to include residents from all over the South Shore.
Mevorach said reducing the decibel level on the LIRR trains to below 100 is crucial because prior to the federal regulations the horns sounded at 96 decibels and with every three-decibel increase the sound doubles. He said even though he would love to see the horns sound at a maximum of 98 decibels, having the numbers potentially lowered to a high of 100 is a major victory. "The entire solution is contained in that [Kenny] letter," said Mevorach. "It's everything we've been asking for."
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