Train Horn Status Now Set at 'On Hold' with Ban Lifted

Train horns blowing through Wauwatosa neighborhoods will continue for now as the city’s application to reinstate the longstanding horn ban are now “on hold.”

The Federal Railroad Authority is now requesting more information about safety features at some Wauwatosa crossings, according to a statement from the city attorney’s office.

The city has hired an engineering consultant to review and satisfy the FRA’s demands for additional safety data, the statement says.

Wauwatosa had already submitted a required report on safety updates at city crossings before the FRA rescinded the horn ban on June 24.

According to City Attorney Alan Kesner, that report was complete and submitted on time, it showed that Wauwatosa had made all necessary upgrades, and should have resulted in a renewal of the horn ban, which has been in place here since the mid-‘70s.

But FRA regional crossing manager Tammy Wagner said the city’s application for renewal was not submitted by the federal deadline, and also that the city had not in fact satisfied the rail authority’s safety requirements.

Kesner in turn replied that Wauwatosa had fulfilled at least the minimum requirements, if not better, at all city crossings.

At the time, Kesner implied that reinstituting the ban ought to have just been a matter of both parties agreeing to review and approve the city’s previously submitted application. But Kesner’s most recent statement makes clear that there will more to it than that.

The statement says, in part, that its application is “on hold with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) pending additional information pertaining to certain crossings in the quiet zone.”

It does not say which crossings those are, but goes on, “The application seeks approval for enhanced safety measures at certain crossings to reduce risk.”

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That suggests former Wauwatosa Fire Chief Michael Anton may have been right when he told Wauwatosa Patch at the time the horn ban was lifted that he had information the FRA was putting the city’s crossings under greater scrutiny and would hold it to a higher standard of safety compliance than the city was aware of.

Anton, during his late tenure with the Fire Department, studied rail crossing safety and submitted two comprehensive reports that found the city needed more up-to-date safety features.

Anton has said he was particularly concerned about the Harwood Avenue crossing in the Village, where there is a traffic gate but inadequate measures to protect pedestrians and bicyclists.

Kesner could not be reached Monday morning for further comment.

In his statement, though, he said the city would work closely with the FRA to satisfy its requirements and re-establish the horn ban as soon as possible – but with no prediction as to even roughly how long that might be.