As of last month, five railroad crossings in Fairhaven — part of the new Fairhaven Quiet Zone — now do not require train horn soundings.
Since 2014, the City of Bellingham has collaborated with the Port of Bellingham to create quieter and safer railroad crossings through proposed quiet zones, said Mike Hogan, the public affairs administrator for the port.
The City of Bellingham website identifies two quiet zone areas, the Fairhaven Quiet Zone with five crossings and the Waterfront Quiet Zone that spans farther north into Bellingham, with six crossings. The Fairhaven Quiet Zone became active on March 10.
Train horns are between 96 and 110 decibels and sound 24 hours a day. This disturbs residents and businesses of Whatcom and Skagit county because of the train-reliant infrastructure.
Typically, trains are required by the Federal Railroad Administration to sound their horns 15 to 20 seconds before reaching a road or pedestrian crossing. In quiet zones, trains are only required to sound horns in cases of emergency.
To create safer crossings without train horns, new safety measures — such as quad gates and signage — are installed at each area affected by the quiet zone. Consultants look at design measures that need to be taken for each crossing. Community members and associated organizations then come together for diagnostic meetings to discuss how to implement these safety features, said Hogan.
“There was a desire from the community to not hear train horns at night,” Hogan said. “Together, we came up with this and approached the railroad and figured out how to fund it.”
The total cost of the project has been $1.695 million so far, partially funded by a $315,000 grant. The biggest section to improve was the Alaska Ferry crossing zone as well as roadway improvements to the Harris Avenue crossing, said Anthony Amirati, the contracts administrator for the port.
Some crossings in Whatcom County do not require train horns while not being in a designated quiet zone. Yacht Club Road, near Larrabee State Park, does not require train horn soundings, Hogan said.
Public input
The port has received extremely positive feedback for the quiet zones. Hogan described the project as a “win-win” because of the enhanced safety features and lower noise pollution from trains.
But Sonja Max, a Bellingham community member and board member of Walk and Roll Bellingham, said that the new safety features, specifically new gates at the pedestrian crossing at Boulevard Park, create difficulty.
“If I’m riding with someone else side-by-side, or if there are pedestrians, the new gates feel sketchy to me. I can’t push one open with my bike,” Max said.
While it is nice that trains are quieter, Max was not extremely bothered by them before. Despite not finding them personally disruptive, Max said she can understand why quiet zones will be helpful with improving business ambiance.
“I was down at Structures Brewing last night, and the train goes right by there and blasts its horn,” Max said. “If there’s something going on in their backroom, like an event, that’s super disruptive.”
While the implementation of quiet zones allows for more peace from noise, some people in the Bellingham community commented that the lack of train horns erases a key part of the area’s charm.
Morgan Beckett, a community member in Bellingham, wrote to Salish Current that the train horns are a familiar and peaceful sound.
“In my childhood, there were train tracks on the other side of our backyard fence,” Beckett wrote. “I’ve been in Bellingham for over a decade now. The familiar sound of the train passing through town reminds me that I am home.”
A trend?
Navigating a need for safer crossings while considering convenience and cost is a tricky subject for rail companies and the cities housing railroads.
Quiet zones for trains in Bellingham have been in discussion for decades. In 2001, BNSF, the local rail company, put up concrete blockades that prevented pedestrian crossing in front of City Hall. While convenience of blocked tracks seemed like a quick fix to unsafe pedestrian crossing, protests against BNSF led to dismantling them with haste.
Mount Vernon in Skagit County has also encountered requests for quiet zones. However, the city has not made a definite shift toward implementation soon. For quiet zones in Skagit County to be incorporated, a budget similar to Bellingham’s would be needed, according to the City of Mount Vernon website.
In Bellingham, quiet zones are anticipated to increase. The plan is to improve safety features for Bellingham’s next six crossings so the Waterfront Quiet Zone can become active. Three crossings, at C Street, Laurel Street and F Street, are completed while Pine Street is in progress. The last two crossings, Central Street and Cornwall Avenue are awaiting funding.
— By Allie Van Parys
Also read in Salish Current:
• “Corrosion problem knocks most Amtrak Cascades trains out of service,” March 28, 2025
• “Views conflict around best use for Port real estate,” March 12, 2025
• “Ship-loading noise tests Bellingham port’s neighborliness,” Jan. 13, 2023
• “Oil train derailment in Whatcom County drives home transport risk concerns,” Jan. 17, 2021