Railroad crossings in Winter Park are now quiet zones

Trains are turning silent in Winter Park. Because of new "Quiet Zones," conductors will no longer be blasting their horns as they pass through. People living there will now only hear the noise if there's an emergency.

It's a relief to homes and businesses nearby who say the horns were too loud, but some are concerned it will affect safety.

The railroad tracks in Winter Park butt up against Park Avenue, and the businesses along that stretch have no choice but to hear the trains.

"It is very loud. Working here a lot of the guests complain about it," said Matt Garcia, who's a bellman at Park Plaza Hotel.

"Sometimes when we’re trying to talk to guests it’s kind of hard to hear them," said Zulmarie Belvis, who's an assistant manager at Peterbrooke Chocolatier.

They won't have to worry anymore. All 16 rail crossings in Winter Park are now officially "Quiet Zones," meaning the trains "no longer have to blow their horn as they travel through the city," said Winter Park spokesperson Clarissa Howard.

To make the change, the city added new safety measures, including new signs, pedestrian crossing arms and longer crossing arms for cars. "Before they staggered and a car could traverse in between but now they meet in the middle, so a car cannot get through," said Howard. 

The train engineer can still use the horn in case of an emergency. 

There have been a number of emergencies at railroad crossings in Winter Park. There was a car versus Sunrail crash in Winter Park in September 2019, a Sunrail versus bicyclist in October 2018, a deadly Sunrail crash in January 2018 and a dump truck crash in 2015. All of them were in Winter Park. 

Some residents are sounding the alarm about the trains no longer sounding an alarm.

"I think that’s crazy. I prefer to have the noise of course. It’s not a noise. It’s a warning so I def prefer to have the warning," said Francisco Jimenez, who lives in Winter Park. 

Others aren't too worried.

"It’s kind of hard to miss a giant train coming through," said Belvis.

The lights and sounds of the gates still go off. Winter Park, Edgewood, and Florida Hospital are the only Quiet Zones along the corridor. The Quiet Zone rules apply to all trains, including Sunrail, Amtrak and freight trains.