Expect fewer train horns as Eugene improves rail crossing safety

Eugene is moving forward with safety improvements on 10 downtown railroad crossings after the Oregon Department of Transportation issued a crossing order earlier this year.

According to the City of Eugene, city engineers are incorporating the order into construction drawings for upgrades to current crossings.

The city has two years to get construction underway, which will address intersections where car, bike and pedestrian traffic crosses railroad tracks.

In 2015, the railroad Quiet Zone Project was initiated and has since been hindered due to an impasse with Union Pacific Railroad, the owner of the railway crossings identified for improvements.

“There is more work to be done with Union Pacific but the crossing order is an important milestone in the project,” Katie Marwitz, the principal engineer with Eugene Public Works, said.

The city expects to have the construction project out for bid in late 2024 and as long as the permit process goes smoothly, construction will start in early 2025.

Eight of the crossings designated for safety improvements will be changed to a “quad gate” style, which means there will be two gate arms on each side of the tracks instead of single arms as they are now, according to a spokesperson with the city.

Jefferson Street will be changed to one-way going south for the section that crosses the railroad tracks and the Lawrence Street intersection will get medians.

In addition to improvements to railway infrastructure, the upgrades will allow train operators to “forgo blowing the train horn” when approaching the crossings, potentially resulting in a 70% decrease in the train horn noise in Eugene.

Trains still will use short horn blasts around the switching yard and the Eugene Depot and can sound the horn in emergency situations.