The Quiet Zone Final Rule, issued by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in June 2005, offered an opportunity for cities to minimize the impact of train horn noise by specifying the procedures and actions necessary to establish a whistle-free quiet zone for at-grade highway rail crossings.

The City partnered with BNSF Railway, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to make the infrastructure changes that would allow trains to safely and quietly cross the City of Galesburg.

Railroad engineers are no longer required to sound their horns at all crossings in a designated quiet zone. They may still use their horns in emergency situations, at their discretion as necessary for safety, or to comply with other Federal regulations or railroad operating rules.  Quiet zone regulations do not eliminate the use of locomotive bells at crossings.

BNSF Railway, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) provided incentives to the City for closing the seven (7) public crossings.  The City applied those incentives to pay its share of the costs of the signal circuitry upgrades and safety measures required at eight (8) crossings receiving raised, non-traversable medians.

The City used funds from the Local Utility Tax to finance improvements at the other three (3) remaining at-grade crossings.

Improvements made to signal circuitry, gate arms and medians at the at-grade crossings in the Quiet Zone cost the partner organizations a total of $2,012,242.

The three new, separated-grade crossings were completely funded by the City's partners:

  • Moffitt / West Main Street Overpass - $16,090,560 (90% State, 5% Federal, 5% BNSF)
  • Bickerdyke / North Seminary Street Overpass - $15,634,484 (67% State, 28% Federal, 5% BNSF)
  • Sibley / East Main Street Underpass - $24,694,571 (100% State)

What specific changes have been made?

Thirty-eight (38) at-grade rail crossings were identified along seven different Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway sub-divisions through or within the City limits.

The City and our partners were able to designate the four (4)  busiest sub-divisions almost entirely quiet zones.

The City has been able to construct three (3) grade-separated crossings and completely closed six (6) public crossings and one (1) private crossing, totally eliminating possible conflicts between trains and traffic.

The City added raised, non-traversable medians at eleven (11) crossings, channeling traffic through the crossing in such a way that drivers cannot swerve around crossing gate arms and onto the tracks.

The City partially closed one (1) other public crossing while adding raised, non-traversable medians to the remaining lanes, reducing the number of possible conflicts.

No changes were made to sixteen (16) crossings that either see very few trains or are located in areas with little residential impact.

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  • Barstow Sub-Division (effective November 18, 2013) - the line running North out of town, to the East of the Hawthorne Centre and Seminary Square
    • East Fremont Street - added raised, non-traversable medians
  • Chillicothe Sub-Division (effective August 18, 2014) - the main East / West line across the City, runs north of downtown, prominent crossings included West Main Street, North Seminary Street, North Broad Street, Lincoln Street and Whitesboro Street - the pre-merger "AT" line
    • South Linwood Road - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
    • South Henderson Street - added raised, non-traversable medians
    • West Main Street - replaced by the Don Moffitt Bridge
    • North Academy Street - added raised, non-traversable medians
    • North West Street - closed
    • North Broad Street - added raised, non-traversable medians
    • North Cherry Street - closed
    • North Prairie Street - added raised, non-traversable medians
    • North Kellogg Street - closed
    • East North Street - closed
    • North Seminary Street - replaced by the Bickerdyke Bridge
    • North Chambers Street - added raised, non-traversable medians
    • North Pearl Street - closed
    • Lincoln Street - added raised, non-traversable medians
    • North Whitesboro Street - added raised, non-traversable medians
  • Mendota Sub-Division (effective August 24, 2018) - the line running along the East side of downtown, out of the Classification Yard and heading Northeast with Lincoln Street running alongside
    • South Chambers Street / Mulberry Street - partially closed and added raised, non-traversable medians
    • East Main Street - replaced with the Reverend Jon A. Sibley, Senior Underpass
    • North Pearl Street - closed
  • Ottumwa Sub-Division (effective February 24, 2020) - the line running Southwest out of town, South of Knox College, with Louisville Road running alongside 
    • South Henderson Street - added raised, non-traversable medians
    • South Academy Street - added raised, non-traversable medians
    • South Cedar Street - added raised, non-traversable medians
  • Peoria Sub-Division (not a quiet zone)- the line running Southeast out of the Classification Yard at East Knox Street, due to low train volume has not received any treatments
    • South Seminary Street (twice) - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
    • South Chambers Street - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
    • East First Street - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
    • South Pearl Street - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
    • Day Street - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
    • Pine Street - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
    • Lombard Street - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
    • Locust Street - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
    • South Farnham Street - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
  • City Corridor (not a quiet zone) - the cutoff connecting the Chillicothe and the Ottumwa, crossing Monmouth Boulevard, due to low train volume has not received any treatments, sometimes called the "West Cutoff"
    • South Henderson Street  - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
    • Northern entrance to the former Butler site - closed as a part of the site redevelopment
    • Fourth Street - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
    • Monmouth Boulevard - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
    • West Berrien Street - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements
  • Galesburg Yard (not a quiet zone) - one of the small utility yards serving the main Classification Yard to the North of West Sixth Street, due to low train volume has not received any treatments
    • South West Street - not included in the Quiet Zone improvements

Contact Public Works for more information regarding our Quiet Zone.

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  • Ottumwa Notice of Establishment
  • Mendota Notice of Establishment
  • Chillicothe Notice of Establishment
  • Barstow Notice of Establishment