It looks like trains will continue to sound their horns in northern Palm Beach County for at least a few more months — far longer than officials had hoped.
Officials in some north county cities thought they would meet federal standards before the end of 2024 but in the new year are still scrambling to win approval.
Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter and Riviera Beach, which together account for 16 of north county’s 26 crossings, have been told by federal officials that the $3.5 million in federal money they have poured into intersection safety along the Florida East Coast Railway tracks is not yet enough.
Tequesta is working to upgrade its lone crossing at Tequesta Drive before applying for quiet zone status to the Federal Railroad Administration.
Alone among north county cities, Lake Park refused to pursue quiet zones last February and officials haven’t discussed the topic since. That means train horns will continue to blare approaching Northlake Boulevard and Park Avenue.
West Palm Beach is the only north county city with an established quiet zone. Half the city remained after federal railway officials granted south county quiet zone status in 2018 but the north end of West Palm Beach met the standards last year to quiet trains at the remaining six crossings.
Deadly collisions
North county officials began working on quiet zones before Brightline began running up to 30 trains a day between West Palm Beach and Orlando in October 2023. The new service increased noise levels for people living near the tracks as each train must sound its horn three times before crossing an intersection.
It took south county five years to get quiet zones, which started in 2018, around the same time Brightline began service between Miami and West Palm Beach.
Despite the safety features designed to keep motorists and pedestrians off the tracks at intersections, Brightline trains, which share the tracks with freight trains, have been involved in several fatal collisions after silencing horns.
The number of collisions has some residents referring to the Miami-to-Orlando train service as “Frightline.”
On Sept. 27, a 68-year-old Boynton Beach man attempted to drive around a lowered safety arm at Southeast 23rd Avenue in Boynton Beach. He died when a Brightline train struck his car.
Another eye-opening crash involved a Delray Beach fire truck, struck by a Brightline train as it drove past the blinking crossing gates on Dec. 28. The crash destroyed the $900,000 fire truck and injured three firefighters and 12 train passengers. A new fire truck could cost about $2 million.
Even with horns sounding, north county has had its share of crashes.
In Palm Beach Gardens, a Brightline train struck and killed 77-year-old driver Eric Geller at Burns Road on Aug. 26. A sign near Burns Roads already is up, saying “No train horn.”
Duane Matheson, 69, of North Palm Beach died after driving under a Northlake Boulevard crossing safety arm on Aug. 8.
Timing not certain
Riviera Beach had estimated its quiet zone would be active last spring. Now, city officials say they are hoping for late spring 2025.
Palm Beach Gardens officials told the City Council last year if all went well, quiet zones could be in place by November. Now the city is spending about $100,000 to install more safety features, City Engineer Todd Engle said.
Jupiter had been moving forward since last year but even now has “no timetable on the completion,” said Shawn Reed, director of community relations.
A federal railroad inspector found six items needing the town’s attention. Among them:
- Replacing the faded “Do not stop on tracks” sign on East Riverside Drive.
- Correcting and replacing misaligned or non-functioning flashing warning beacons on Donald Ross Road, Frederick Small Road and Toney Penna Drive.
- Refreshing the degraded stop line and pavement near the tracks on Center Street.
Reed could not say how much Jupiter is paying for the upgrades.
Jupiter Mayor Jim Kuretski said he would rather sacrifice ear drums than lives. He said he is glad federal officials are prioritizing safety instead of continuing to overlook crucial intersection maintenance.
“They’re stepping up, making sure that everything is in as good of a condition as it can be to protect public safety,” Kuretski said. “There’s nothing more important than that.”
Residents, however, are getting antsy — and so are some city officials.
“We’re anxiously awaiting the FRA’s response,” said Marcie Tinsley, a Palm Beach Gardens City Council member.
Tinsley, who is running for reelection in March, said she thinks that north county quiet zones are taking much longer than south county’s.
City residents often ask about quiet zones, Tinsley said, and she understands their frustration because she hears the train horns from her home in Evergrene.
But not everyone is frustrated by the delays.
It’s not that unusual for the back and forth with federal officials to be time-consuming, said Jim Kovalsky, president of the Florida East Coast Railway Society, a hobby group for train enthusiasts.
“Everything dealing with the government is going to take longer than you expect it to,” Kovalsky said.
This story was originally published by Stet News Palm Beach, a WLRN News partner.
