WAKEFIELD

Wakefield Railroad Crossing to Close Temporarily After Complaints of ‘Blaring' Horns

NBC10 Boston

A railroad crossing that recently reopened in Wakefield, Massachusetts, will close again temporarily after noise complaints from residents.

The crossing on Broadway was opened after a unanimous Sept. 13 decision from the town council after it had been closed for construction. The town says that the Federal Railroad Administration gave it an exception to maintain its "quiet zone" status, but that opening the crossing meant train horns would sound until the FRA's paperwork was completed — a process Wakefield expected to take five to six weeks.

People who live in the area have since reported loud noises, including overnight.

Train horns blaring at all hours of the day and night are causing problems for people in Wakefield, Massachusetts, after a railroad crossing reopened.

"We bought this house knowing that we were next to a train, we'd hear occasional train noise, and we were fine with that," Tania Roberts of Wakefield told NBC10 Boston last week. "What we weren't fine with is really loud, blaring horns at all hours of the night and day."

Roberts' infant daughter eats through a feeding tube, and she says the horns can be a safety issue for her.

"There's a cord that feeds her, and when that happens, she wakes up, and she can get twisted around it, and it's a real danger for us as a family," she said.

The town council voted Monday to close the crossing again, with officials acknowledging that neighbors "indicated that the horns’ noise level, especially during the overnight hours, affected their sleep, health, and ability to focus at school and work."

"The Broadway crossing will close later this week with notification to the MBTA and other track users to cease the horns," the town said in a statement.

The crossing will reopen again after the FRA gives an "official written signoff" to make the area a quiet zone.

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