Will the Trains Stop Blowing their Horns in Town?

Nearly 4 ½ years after voting to silence train horns coming through San Juan Capistrano, the City Council may finally get its wish.

The council on Tuesday is expected to officially announce to train operators that their engineers cannot blow their horns while crossing through intersections in town. The change is expected to take place in March.

“For safety considerations, passing trains sound their horns for long periods of time and disturb people from their comfort and sleep at night,” states a report to City Council.

The reasons behind the delay in getting the horns to go silent were severalfold: The railroad crossings at city intersections needed safety improvements – which have been completed – and the city’s insurer wouldn’t cover the city if it was declared a quiet zone.

The California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, the city’s insurer, agreed to remove the so-called “quiet zone” exclusion from its policy, effective Feb. 1, according to a staff report.

“The city is now covered for its exposure for liability arising from quiet zones and the CJPIA provides its members up to $50 million of liability coverage, with no additional premium associated with this coverage,” states the staff report.

The council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto in San Juan Capistrano.

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