1). Railroads: Railroads work with public authorities to: (1) identify  appropriate safety measures at grade crossings; (2) participate in  diagnostic review meetings when the quiet zone includes public,  private, or pedestrian grade crossings; (3) receive and comment on  public authority’s quiet zone notifications (e.g., the Notice of Intent and  Notice of Quiet Zone Establishment); (4) install safety measures on  railroad property; and (5) direct train crews not to sound horns in  established quiet zones. Benefits of Quiet Zones Have Not Been Quantified, and Costs Depend on Many Factors

		While Benefits of Quiet Zones Have Not Been Quantified, Selected Stakeholders Highlighted Benefits for Communities

Benefits derived from establishing quiet zones and reducing noise from  the train horn have not been quantified in research we reviewed or by the  public authorities (i.e., communities) that we interviewed. Both FRA program officials and FRA guidance has stated that, in general,  the factors that affect the costs include such things as the number of  grade crossings in a quiet zone, the geography of the area in which the  quiet zone is established, and the types of safety measures a public  authority decides to install. FRA Has Conducted Analyses of Safety in Quiet Zones and Is Formalizing Quiet Zone Inspections, but Limitations Exist

		FRA’s Analyses Generally Indicate That Grade Crossings in Quiet Zones Are As Safe As The Same Grade Crossings When the Train Horn Was Sounded, but Methodology Has Limitations

One way FRA evaluates the effectiveness of its train horn regulations is  through conducting analyses of data on the safety of grade crossings in  quiet zones. According to FRA program officials, FRA is not required to  inspect quiet zones; rather, public authorities, in conjunction with the  railroads, are responsible for maintaining quiet zones and ensuring  compliance with train horn regulations. As a result, FRA is transitioning its informal  inspection program for quiet zones to a more formal inspection process. While FRA has started conducting formal quiet-zone inspections, we  found that FRA has not developed guidance on how the inspections  should be conducted, including guidance on how frequently these  inspections should be conducted and what should be examined. Without this  type of guidance, FRA cannot have reasonable assurance that  inspections are being conducted consistently across FRA’s eight regions  and as FRA intends. By continuing to rely on this  methodology, FRA may be missing an opportunity to ensure that  established quiet zones are providing the same level of safety as when  train horns were sounded. In addition to its safety studies, FRA is also taking steps to formalize its  process for conducting physical inspections of quiet zones. The department concurred with the second recommendation  regarding developing guidance for quiet zone inspectors and partially  concurred with the first recommendation regarding revising the  methodology for analyzing the safety of quiet zones. However, we continue to believe that our recommendation is valid and  that to fully understand quiet zone safety FRA needs to revise its  methodology to account for relevant characteristics of quiet—zone grade  crossings. As we state in the report, the reliability of FRA’s current  methodology will likely decrease over time because it does not control for  relevant changes to grade crossings in quiet zones including changes to  vehicle or train traffic or speeds. Federal regulations govern the use of train  horns at public-highway-rail-grade crossings (grade crossings) and  provide public authorities—typically a city, town, or county—with the  opportunity to create quiet zones where train horns are not sounded. The public authorities were also selected based  on factors such as the number of new quiet zones and recommendations  from FRA and other stakeholders we interviewed. Additionally, we reviewed FRA’s regulations governing train horns and  quiet zones. To determine how FRA is evaluating the effectiveness of the federal train  horn regulations, we reviewed FRA’s analysis of the safety of quiet zones  at highway-rail-grade crossings completed in 2011 and 2013, which  compared the safety of grade crossings in quiet zones to the safety of  grade crossings where the train horn is sounded.
Why GAO Did This Study

Accidents at grade crossings are a major source of fatalities in the railroad industry. FRA—the federal agency responsible for providing regulatory oversight of grade-crossing safety—–issued regulations on the use of train horns in 2005. Railroads generally support sounding the horn, whereas, communities often support quiet zones to reduce noise.
Congress included a provision in statute for GAO to examine FRA's train horn regulations, including those on quiet zones. Among other things, this report: (1) describes benefits and costs of quiet zones, and (2) examines how FRA evaluates the effectiveness of its train horn regulations. GAO analyzed FRA's documentation on quiet zones, including FRA's train horn regulations and 2011 and 2013 studies on quiet zone safety; reviewed literature; and interviewed FRA program officials in headquarters, Grade Crossing Managers in FRA's 8 regions, and a nongeneralizable sample of another 32 stakeholders from 6 states, railroads, public authorities, and private industry consulting firms. State and public authorities were selected based on the number of quiet zones, geographic diversity, and FRA's recommendations.

What GAO Found

GAO found that the benefits of quiet zones—–i.e., highway-rail at-grade crossings (grade crossings) where train horns are not sounded—have not been quantified and that the costs to establish quiet zones vary. The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) train horn regulations allow public authorities (e.g., cities or towns) the opportunity to establish quiet zones if they install safety measures that reduce risks associated with the absence of the train horn (see fig.). While GAO did not identify any research that has quantified the benefits of quiet zones, most stakeholders GAO interviewed said that these quiet zones provide benefits to communities, such as reducing noise or increasing economic development. According to FRA guidance, the factors that affect the costs to establish quiet zones can vary based on the number of grade crossings and types of safety measures used. Public authorities, which typically incur the costs and receive the benefits of quiet zones, must therefore decide whether the benefits of quiet zones exceed the costs.
To evaluate the effectiveness of its train horn regulations, FRA has analyzed data on grade crossings in quiet zones and is transitioning to a formal process for inspecting quiet zones.
Analyses: FRA's analyses showed grade crossings in quiet zones were generally as safe as they were when train horns were sounded. However, these analyses did not control for changes to grade crossings' characteristics over time—–e.g., train speeds or frequency. Such changes may decrease the analyses' reliability. A revised methodology that accounts for these changes could provide FRA with better information on the long-term effects of the train horn regulations, including the safety of quiet zones.
Inspections: Recognizing the need for additional oversight, FRA has taken steps to formalize its process for inspecting quiet zones. FRA has primarily relied on public authorities to oversee quiet zones and ensure compliance with the train horn regulations, in addition to informal inspections by FRA's Grade Crossing Managers. In September 2017, FRA began conducting formal inspections of quiet zones using Grade Crossing Inspectors. However, FRA has not developed guidance for how inspections are to be conducted, including how frequently inspections are to be performed or what should be examined. Without guidance, FRA cannot ensure that inspections are being conducted consistently across FRA's eight regions.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that FRA: (1) revise its methodology for analyzing the safety of quiet zones, and (2) develop guidance on conducting quiet zone inspections. The Department of Transportation partially concurred with the first recommendation, saying it would consider it, and fully concurred with the second. GAO continues to believe changes to the methodology are needed, as discussed in the report.