(Washington, DC) - U.S.  Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Queens/L.I.) today announced that the House of Representatives late last night approved $125,000 to help silence blaring horns the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is required to blast each time its trains pass through the community of Little Neck, Queens.

The funds, requested by Ackerman, were included in the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill. The measure passed 268-153.

The funds would be used to upgrade the gates at the LIRR crossing on Little Neck Parkway in Little Neck, a spot that sees more than 80 trains per day, each one blasting its horns day and night. Specifically, the money would help close the gaps that exist in the gates.

Due to these gaps—which vehicles and people can easily squeeze through—the trains are mandated by federal rules to sound their horns when approaching the crossing in order to warn traffic and pedestrians. But once the gaps are closed, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) can classify the Little Neck crossing as a quiet zone, a designation that allows trains to pass through a crossing without blasting their horns because sufficient safety measures are in-place. 

In 2005, the federal government began requiring all trains to blow their horns at crossings where inadequate safety measures exist. These passing trains must blast their horns at high decibels for 15 to 20 seconds prior to arriving at the crossing.

The funds must still be approved by the Senate and be signed into law by President Bush before they can be made available.

“Although we still have a ways to go in securing these funds, we have cleared a major hurdle” Ackerman said. “We’re one more step closer towards achieving peace and quiet as well as greater road safety conditions for the residents of Little Neck.”

The funds, if eventually obtained, would be disbursed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and will be used by state and local transportation agencies, which will responsible for constructing the crossing’s safety improvements.

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