City of Shawnee

Train Horn Noise

Thank you to every single person who made the train horn quiet zone project a success. As of June 1, 2018 three railroad crossings were closed and one was converted to a quiet zone.  The Woodland/Martindale corridor is now quiet! 

History

For over ten years the volume and frequency of train horns became a quality of life concern for an increasing number of Shawnee residents. The City was aware of the concern and produced a report as an effort to provide information on the complex challenges of train horns in our community.

To view a copy of the report, please click here.

On January 13, 2015, the City held a public meeting for citizens at Mill Valley High School, which included a presentation from City staff and additional information from a representative of the Federal Railroad Administration.

Further discussion of train horn noise took place at the Council Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 3. To view the presentation given by City staff at that meeting, please click here.

On November 23, 2015 the City submitted a Notice of Intent to establish a quiet zone along the Emporia Subdivision line (this is the rail line that runs north/south along Woodland and Martindale in the middle of Shawnee). A Notice of Intent is a document that summarizes to the railroad, the Federal Railway Administration, and the State of Kansas the intentions of the City to implement a quiet zone. This step is necessary so the City can utilize the solutions at each crossing to mutually benefit each other (ex. closing of crossings may help to have less invasive (and less expensive) safety measures installed at another crossing).

On October 24, 2017 the City submitted a Notice of Establishment of a Railroad Quiet Zone for the Emporia Subdivision line. A Notice of Establishment is the final document required and that summarizes to the railroad, the Federal Railway Administration, and the State of Kansas the intentions that were submitted in the Notice of Intent were acted upon and the City implemented a quiet zone. This Notice of Establishment includes the 59th Street, 73rd Street, and 75th Street railroad crossings. Train horns ceased at these locations on November 15, 2017.

Although not included in the official quiet zone, the City closed the 55th Street crossing earlier this year. BNSF continues to use this as an access point to their tracks, but are not required to blow the horns. Train horns ceased at this location on June 1, 2018.
  • Contact Info
  • City Manager's OfficeCaitlin Gard, Assistant City Manager 
  • Address11110 Johnson Drive Shawnee, Kansas 66203 
  • Telephone(913) 742-6230 
  • Fax(913) 631-7351 
  • Email
  • Hours8am-5pm