Traffic & Transit
West Medford Spared Commuter Rail Horn Once More
The quiet zone for the Commuter Rail was reinstated after area residents noticed frequent late night and early morning noise.
MEDFORD, MA — Residents near the West Medford Commuter Rail tracks can now sleep easier without the blaring of train horns. Area residents recently took to Facebook to commiserate over hearing horns in the late night and early morning hours. One poster compared the noises on Lawrence Road to the steam train from the 1960s sitcom "Petticoat Junction," while another said he lived near the high school and could hear horns "all night."
The reason? The quiet zone in West Medford was suspended, a Commuter Rail representative wrote in a response to a tweet about the uptick in noise.
Sorry for the extra noise, Susan. Yes, the quiet zone here has been suspended and the city will need to work with federal regulators on the issue to restore the quiet zone. For now, our trains must sound the horn crossing High Street to comply with federal requirements. ^ME
— MBTA Commuter Rail (@MBTA_CR) September 13, 2019
It didn't stay that way long. On Friday, Mayor Stephanie M. Burke said her office received several calls about the Commuter Rail horn.
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"I'm happy to tell you that the City has been in communication with Keolis and the quiet zone is back into effect," Burke wrote on Instagram.
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