CAMERON, Texas (KRHD) — The City of Cameron secured an $8.26 million grant to install quiet zones around railroad crossings around the city.
- Residents in Cameron have been expressing frustration with frequent and loud train horns, especially late at night.
- The City of Cameron has secured an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to upgrade safety features at crossings, eliminating the need for train horns.
- The City expects quiet zones to be in place by December 2026, but require the approval and agreement with the BNSF Railroad company, TxDOT and the Federal Railroad Administration.
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"It gets very annoying," Cameron resident William Reinbeau said.
"Once you're around them for so long, you get used to it," Darvin Gray, another resident, said.
Living near train tracks isn't for the weak, according to neighbors in Cameron.
If you're on the phone or you're talking to somebody, you just got to wait till it passes before you can talk to anybody," Gray said.
"Normally, it's in the late evenings or late night, like, you know, after 11, 12 o'clock at night til 1, 2 or 3, 4 o'clock in the morning, and it's like every 15 minutes," Reinbeau said.
But it won't be too loud for long.
The City of Cameron can finally install quiet zones.
With the $8 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the city will install medians, curbing and additional gates at five crossings around the city.
Then, the trains wouldn't be required to sound a horn, creating a quiet zone
The city released a statement stating it took about three years to secure the grant with the help of the Central Texas Council of Governments.
Neighbors like Reinbeau told15ABC they're just hoping for a better night of sleep.
"I like the idea," he said. "Maybe blow it less, possibly, you know. It's like they lay on it."
"How do you feel about maybe finally having some peace around here?," 15ABC asked.
"That would be nice. Everybody always complains about the train," Gray said.
