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Railroads use train horns as a critical safety measure. These horns are activated prior to a train’s arrival at a public highway-rail grade crossing and in emergency situations, such as when a person, vehicle, or animal is on the tracks and at risk of being struck. While the FRA recognizes that train horns can be disruptive to local communities, they play an essential role in ensuring safety. 

Train Horn Requirements

Under the Train Horn Rule (49 CFR Part 222, effective August 17, 2006), locomotive engineers are required to sound train horns at least 15 seconds and no more than 20 seconds before reaching a public highway-rail grade crossing. For trains traveling over 60 mph, the horn must not be sounded more than one-quarter mile in advance of the nearest crossing, even if this results in an advance warning of less than 15 seconds. A "good faith" exception allows engineers to begin sounding the horn up to 25 seconds prior to arriving at a crossing when precise arrival times cannot be estimated.

Train horns must follow a standardized pattern of two long blasts, one short blast, and one long blast. This pattern should be repeated or prolonged until the lead locomotive or cab car occupies the crossing. Although the rule does not specify the duration of long and short blasts, it requires that train horns operate at a maximum volume of 110 decibels and a minimum volume of 96 decibels.

Quiet Zones

When the rule was established requiring the routine sounding of train ho​rns at all public highway-rail grade crossings, a procedure was also created for localities to designate segments of a rail line, with one or more consecutive crossings, as “quiet zones,” provided they meet certain safety requirements. In these quiet zones, train horns would not be routinely sounded. 

Only a public authority, defined as the entity responsible for traffic control or law enforcement at the public crossings (such as a city or county) may establish quiet zones.

Public authorities seeking to establish quiet zones must first mitigate the increased risks associated with the absence of the train horn. However, in a quiet zone, it is important to note that horns may still be used in emergency situations or to comply with other Federal regulations and railroad operating rules.  For example, the horn may be sounded to alert animals, vehicle operators, pedestrians, trespassers, or crews on other trains or due to other railroad operations where sounding the horn is a necessity.

Additionally, any “no horn” restrictions that existed prior to the establishment of this rule may have established as a “pre-rule quiet zone.” 

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