“I hear that train a coming . . .”

Given increasing complaints, are train horns in Biddeford louder and more frequent?

By JIM KRAUSE, Contributing Writer

People living near railroad tracks in Biddeford are making noise about freight train horns that sound at all hours of the night. Rail officials say they are required by law — and in some cases for public safety.

The railroad through Biddeford dates to around 1842, nearly 20 years before the Civil War.

When the tracks were built, they were mostly surrounded by trees and open areas. As the train approached town, it passed mills and downtown businesses.

The building that now houses Champions Sports Bar once served as the Boston and Maine Railroad’s freight station. A small yard sat alongside the main tracks for switching and storing freight cars headed to the mill complex.

But why do the horns seem louder now?

City officials in July 2024 removed a homeless encampment from Mechanics Park. The hope was that displaced residents would move to shelters or other resources. However, many relocated instead to James Street along the tracks.

In July, a CSX train struck and killed a trespasser between James and Main streets.

Officials from CSX and Amtrak — CSX owns the tracks and Amtrak leases the right to use them — say train crews are trained under Federal Railroad Administration regulations. Those rules (49 CFR Parts 222 and 229) require the use of horns or bells near crossings and whenever there are obstructions or people close to the right of way.

“One engineer described the area as ‘like dodging raindrops.’” Engineers say distractions such as headphones pose dangers, leaving horns as their only warning tool.

Another factor: a phenomenon known as temperature inversion.

On clear, calm nights, sound waves can bend downward, making horns seem louder. With fewer competing noises at night — traffic, sirens, kids playing — the horns stand out even more. And with most leaves off trees during fall and winter, fewer barriers exist to absorb sound.

Are we hearing train horns more than before? Probably.

Are train crews sounding them simply to keep residents awake? Probably not.

These tracks existed long before most nearby homes and businesses. Anyone moving into the area should expect an active railroad.

In a sense, the public has built around the railroad, so it makes little sense to blame crews for loud horns and weather conditions that amplify them.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a longtime railroad employee put it this way:

“People assume train crews are cold and emotionless machine operators. They don’t know what it’s like to sit in that seat, knowing you are about to hit someone and can’t do anything but blow your horn.

“I can hit the brakes, but the train isn’t stopping for half a mile or more. So yeah — if I’m going through an area where I know there are homeless people camping along the tracks, I’m blowing that horn. A lot.”

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Jim Krause is a freelance writer living in Biddeford. He can be contacted at jiggyjim@live.com

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