TexRail horns are rude awakening for some North Texans

TEXRail’s first week of service was a rude awakening for some people.

While some cities have enacted quiet zones, the horns are still blaring at stations and that sound is traveling to some people’s neighborhoods.

Crossings like the one in Haltom City are labeled as quiet zones. But the new commuter trains still sound their horns at stations, which aren’t that far from some homes.

Johnna Garrett was initially excited about TexRail.

“I love trains,” the homeowner said. “I took my kids in their first train ride on TRE.”

Then, the sound of horns began to invade Garrett’s living room multiple times an hour and through the night.

“I haven’t slept in three weeks,” she said. “They run 22 hours a day, several times an hour. It is long, loud and continuous.”

TEXRail travels across a 27-mile route between Downtown Fort Worth and DFW Airport. Neighbors say it is the frequency and sound of the horns that’s the biggest difference.

“It sounds different from any train I have ever heard,” said resident Kelly Johnson.

While the crossings near this Haltom city neighborhood are in a quiet zone, they are not far from a Fort Worth station where engineers are required to sound horns.

There are also safety exceptions in quiet zones. An engineer must sound the horn if a person or car is close to the tracks or if there are construction workers nearby.

TEXRAIL’s first weekend ridership numbers were strong. About 11,000 people got on board between Saturday and Sunday.