Brightline trains: How loud are horns compared to FEC? TCPalm used a decibel meter to find out
When it comes to train horns, it seems the quantity, not the quality, is what annoys residents most.
Treasure Coast residents who live next to the railroad tracks from Sebastian to Tequesta say they were accustomed to the occasional horn from Florida East Coast Railway freight trains, but now some of them are annoyed by the frequency of 30 Brightline trains throughout the day.
FEC and Brightline train horns are equally loud — about 118 decibels, according to a decibel meter TCPalm staff used while standing about 10 feet from the railroad tracks in downtown Fort Pierce and downtown Stuart.
Sounds at 120 decibels, which is comparable to an emergency vehicle siren, may cause discomfort to human hearing, according to the National Council on Aging.
Brightline train horns
Mike Capps, who moved to Roseland from Okeechobee about six years ago, lives in the first house just south of the St. Sebastian River railroad bridge in Indian River County. He said he knew what to expect and didn’t mind the Brightline horns at first, but then the number of trains increased.
A few short bursts don't bother him as much as when the conductor lays on the horn the whole way past his house. At least Brightline trains don't shake his house like FEC trains do, he said, since the high-speed passenger trains are lighter and faster than the lumbering freight trains.
“It’s just the horn. The trains don’t bother me a bit,” Capps said. “I knew what I was buying into, so I can’t cry about it.”
Cheryl Klinke, who lives a "stone's throw" from the railroad tracks, said she can’t sit outside and enjoy her fenced-in backyard anymore. She has lived in Lelani Heights, south of the downtown Jensen Beach Boulevard roundabout, for the past 24 years.
The northbound Brightline trains repeatedly blow their horns as they approach the intersection.
“They’re fast and they’re short, which is great,” Klinke said of the trains, “but they blow their horns like crazy.”
She said she understands trains need to blow their horns so vehicles get out of the way, but she's still annoyed.
“People are so stupid. People are oblivious.”
Brightline vs. FEC trains
Like Capps, Klinke said she could deal with the occasional freight train, but is bothered by the frequency of 30 Brightline trains passing about every half-hour or less. The company will increase that to a maximum 32 trains starting Dec. 11, according to its website.
“It’s a shame,” Klinke said, referring to Brightline not having a Treasure Coast stop. “We have all the inconvenience with none of the benefits, which is kind of the annoying thing.”
At least Brightline trains are lighter and don't operate overnight. She said she's still not used to FEC trains, whose vibrations shake her bed and crack her ceiling plaster.
“The freight train is way more annoying,” Klinke said, “but the Brightline is more frequent.”
She thinks Brightline should run fewer trains because the early-morning trains look nearly empty to her, with no more than 10 passengers in each of the four cars, which are designed to carry 60.
“What a waste,” she said. “They’re losing money and annoying everybody.”
Brightline recently reported carrying 57,797 passengers between Orlando and South Florida since its Sept. 22 launch of the expanded service through Oct. 16.
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: Train horns: Is FEC freight or Brightline passenger louder?
