Brightline train horn noise no issue for residents used to louder FEC freight train horn

Laurie K. Blandford, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·3 min read
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Brightline train horns don’t bother most people TCPalm interviewed about the increased noise from 11 trains that passed through the Treasure Coast on Friday, but that could change after Oct. 24, when there are 32 trains every day.

Most people said they are used to the sound from Florida East Coast Railway freight trains, which some said have become longer and more frequent, with louder horns and heavier cars that also cause vibrations. Staff at breweries, restaurants, golf courses, movie theaters and other businesses near the railroad tracks said they haven’t heard many customers complain about Brightline horns since the company began testing trains here in January 2022.

“If we can barely hear it and we don’t feel anything, we know it’s not a [freight] train, it’s a Brightline,” said Adam Hernandez, a manager at American Icon Brewery that's next to the railroad tracks in Vero Beach.

Gavin Clyde, 21, is a store clerk on the package side of the St. Lucie Inn at State Road A1A and Old Dixie Highway north of Fort Pierce near the railroad tracks. He said he occasionally catches a glimpse of the Brightline high-speed passenger train. “ It’s not as large as the normal (freight) train that goes by and it’s definitely quieter,“ he said.

The brewery offers $5 shots whenever an FEC freight train passes, but won't be able to extend that deal to the more frequent Brightline passenger trains, "to remain responsible," Hernandez said.

A few customers at Mash Monkeys Brewing Co. in Sebastian, which is near three railroad crossings, have said Brightline horns are too loud and too frequent, owner Derek Gerry said. But Brightline trains are quieter, said Gavin Clyde, a clerk at the St. Lucie Inn liquor store and bar at South A1A and Old Dixie Highway in Fort Pierce.

At Casa Azteca, a Mexican restaurant near the tracks in downtown Fort Pierce, A.J. Aleixo of Down Under Dive Service dined on the outdoor patio Friday.

A.J. Aleixo (left), of Down Under Dive Service in Fort Pierce, and his staff member Kristin Morgan finish their meal outside the Mexican restaurant Casa Azteca, at the corner of Orange Avenue and North 2nd Street, where the sound of passing trains are more evident, in downtown Fort Pierce. "So long as the gates are timed right I think we're OK, but if the gates aren't timed right, there’s the potential for giant problems," Aleixo said. "It turns into white noise I think. Downtown people just get used to sounds that happen every day. Initially, I imagine it's going to be shocking for a lot of people, but after a while, hopefully, that will fade into the background."

"It turns into white noise, I think," Aleixo said of the train noise. "Downtown people just get used to sounds that happen every day. Initially, I imagine it's going to be shocking for a lot of people, but after a while, hopefully, that will fade into the background."

Moviegoers at The Majestic 11 in Vero Beach haven’t complained about train horns ruining their experience, said Cinemaworld Chief Operating Officer Rick Starr II.

Nor have golfers at the Indian Hills Golf Course in Fort Pierce, manager Danny Visconti said, adding he can remember only one complaint in five years and that was about the loud restacking of freight train cars.

Residents have mixed opinions on Brightline trains

Chrissy Cera, a Hobe Sound resident visiting downtown Stuart with her husband, Lou Cera, anticipates Brightline passenger service from Miami to Orlando to be loud. Service began Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.
Chrissy Cera, a Hobe Sound resident visiting downtown Stuart with her husband, Lou Cera, anticipates Brightline passenger service from Miami to Orlando to be loud. Service began Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.

St. Lucie Village residents who live near the tracks along Old Dixie Highway in Fort Pierce are also used to the sound of trains. Many homes have double-paned windows to help muffle the noise, Mayor William “Bill” Thiess said.

After people have had a couple of years to adjust to Brightline, the town might lobby for quiet zones, he said.

However, the safety equipment the Federal Railroad Administration requires to allow trains not to sound their horns could be too costly for the Treasure Coast to install and maintain. Signs, lights and vehicle-detection technology could cost $18 million, the agency estimated in 2015. Governments that opposed Brightline's Miami-Orlando service rejected the company's offer to pay for most of the work if metropolitan planning organizations paid the balance.

“I think people anticipate there will be quiet zones established in the future, but not right now,” said Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ron Rose. “There’s got to be a significant number of train enthusiasts that are along that route, as well as people that probably find it annoying.”

Hobe Sound residents Lou and Chrissy Cera are in the latter camp. They said some of their neighbors have moved because of the noise from FEC freight trains, which will only get worse with 32 daily Brightline trains.

"We are less than a mile away" from the tracks, Cera said. "It's going to be loud."

Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Follow her on Twitter @TCPalmLaurie and Facebook @TCPalmLaurie. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Brightline train horn noise no worse than FEC freight train horn