Automated Horn System
AHS™ Research
The intial AHS™ study was conducted by John A. Volpe, National Transportation Systems Center, for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in 1995. Since then studies have been conducted by the Iowa DOT, Association of American Railroads, Texas Transportation Institute and the City of Richardson, TX.All research proves AHS™ is an effective solution for mitigating train horn without compromising driver safety.
To view the full report click here.
Evaluation of the Automated Wayside Horn System in Roseville, CA
The Automated Horn System (AHS™) activations in the City of Roseville are the culmination of a three year process that began on September 18, 2000, at the directions of the City Council. City staff worked with California Piblic Utility Commission (CPUC), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) staff to plan what would be the first AHS™ installation in California and one of less than a dozen in the entire United States.
To view the first evaluation report click here
To view the evaluation second report click here
To view the third evaluation report click here
Evaluation of the RCL Automated Wayside Horn System
A Report from the Texas Transportation Institute
The objective of this evaluation is to revisit the AHS™ installation at the Tenth Street location in Gering to assess the level of driver compliance with the warning system after approximately six years of operation. Initial AHS™ implementation was in July of 1994. The original posttest period was from May 24, 1995 to October 22, 1995. Data for this follow up evaluation was collected for 16 days from March 25, 2000 to April 9, 2000. TTI was engaged by RCL to examine the data collected at the site and report on the observed rate of driver compliance (Type 1 and Type 2 violations) with the AHS™ still in place.
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Wayside Horn Sound Radiation and Motorist Audibility Evaluation
Wayside horns are a viable alternative to locomotive horns for audible warning at grade crossings. Wayside horns have the advantage of being closer to the motorist. In addition, they have a more focused radiation pattern and produce less community noise exposure.The current RCL horn was tested on May 3, 2000 to demonstrate both dBA and one third octave bands at 22.5º angular increments. This data allows more accurate community noise exposure forecasts and motorist audibility evaluations.
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Evaluation of an Automated Horn Warning System at Three Highway-Railroad Grade Crossings in Ames, Iowa
In September of 1998, the city of Ames, Iowa (population 48,000) began operation of three automated horn warning systems. These systems were installed after nearby residents repeatedly expressed their concerns over the- disturbance created by the loud train horns.The purpose of this research was twofold: 1.) determine the effectiveness of the automated horn system in reducing the annoyance level for nearby residents; and 2.) determine the overall safety at the crossings with the new automated horn warning system. The research included collecting horn volume data to develop noise level contour maps, using before-and-after surveys to document opinions of nearby residents and motorists, and a survey of locomotive engineers to document their perception of the new systems. The following paragraphs summarize the information collected during the study.
To view the full report click here
Automated Wayside Train Horn Warning System Evaluation in Richardson, TX
The City of Richardson implemented a Quiet Zone at the highway-rail grade crossing of Custer Parkway and the Kansas City Southern Railroad. The Quiet Zone was created with the installation of an automated wayside horn at the Custer Parkway crossing. When the train approaches the highway-rail grade crossing, the automated wayside horn is activated to give audible warning to the motorists, By directing the automated horn toward the approach roadway, excess noise into the neighborhood is minimized. This automated ways[de horn is used instead of the traditional train horn blown by the train engineer. As a safety precaution, a strobe signal shows the train engineer the system is working. If the strobe were not activated, the train engineer would revert to the standard train horn warning.The goal of this Quiet Zone project was to improve the quality of life for homeowners in the Richardson neighborhood while maintaining or improving safety for motorists approaching the highway-rail grade crossing. Reducing the overall noise level produced by the horns and reducing the number of homes affected by the train horn improve quality of life. Also, greater safety is achieved by providing equal or better audible warning to motorists approaching the crossing. This needs to occur where the vehicle will have adequate distance to decelerate to a stop. This report presents the evaluation of the automated horn system at Custer Parkway.
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Evaluation of the Automated Wayside Horn System in Mundelein, IL
For three and a half years, an ad hoc committee comprised of representatives of a variety of state, federal, and local governments plus the private sector met to find a way to install, fund, maintain, and study automated horn systems at nine railroad crossings in, and adjacent to, the Village of Mundelein, Illinois.The Automated Horn Task Force, as the group came to be known, began its work in June 2000. On January 21, 2003, the Final Report of the effectiveness of the automated horns was presented to the Task Force.
The study that follows is an in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of automated horns as a safety feature and as a method of reducing noise from train horns. On both counts the automated horn proved extremely successful.
Mundelein Evaluation Continued...
AHS™ Study Conclusions
"Wayside horns are a viable alternative to locomotive horns for audible warning at grade crossings. Wayside horns have the advantage of being closer to the motorist. In addition, they have a more focused radiation pattern and produce less community noise exposure."
Wayside Horn Sound Radiation and Motorist Audibility Evaluation, Prepared for: Association of American Railroads, Prepared by: Mike Fann & Associates, May 2000
"For nearby residents, the automated horn system greatly reduces the negative impacts resulting from the loud train horns; the automated horns are well accepted by both motorists and locomotive engineers; and the automated system appears to provide an equivalent level of safety at the crossings."
Evaluation of an Automated Horn Warning System at Three Highway-Railroad Grade Crossings in Ames, Iowa, by Steve Gent, P.E. (Iowa DOT), Scott Logan, P.E.(City of Ames Iowa), David Evans (Iowa State University), 1998
"The wayside horn provided an equal or significantly louder audible warning at the point at which motorists most need the warning."
Automated Wayside Train Horn Warning System Evaluation, Prepared for: The City of Richardson, Texas, Prepared by: PB Farradyne Inc., May 2001
"The AHS appears to be, after almost 5 years of operation, an effective alternative to the locomotive horn at the Tenth Street crossing in Gering, Nebraska, with a violation rate no greater than that observed during pretest monitoring."
A Safety Evaluation of the RCL Automated Horn System, by Stephen S. Roop, Ph.D. Texas Transportation Institute, May 2000
"The safety evaluation suggests that the wayside horn will not result in behavior that puts the driver at increased risk compared to the use of the train horn. The frequency of violations was lower for the wayside horn than the train horn, while the time to collision and violation time was not statistically or practically different for either warning system."
Field evaluation of a Wayside Horn at a Highway-Railroad Grade Crossing, by U.S. Department of Transportation Research and Special Programs Administration John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, June 1998
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