The Manager's report back on Sherman Street Quiet Zone

On Friday, June 29th, 2018, all trains using the Sherman Street highway-rail grade crossing began sounding their horns, causing significant disruption to the local community. This change in operations was precipitated by an internal audit done by Keolis Commuter Services (the contractor that operates the commuter rail), which determined that this grade crossing was not an officially-established quiet zone under Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations.

Based on this audit, both commuter rail trains operated by Keolis and freight trains operated by Pan Am Railways were immediately required to start sounding their horns, with the train operators otherwise subject to significant financial penalties. Given the safety issues associated with highway-rail grade crossings (and railroad right-of-way trespassing in general), it was important for the horns to continue to sound until the proper steps could be taken to officially establish a quiet zone.

Since that time, the City of Cambridge has gone through the steps necessary to officially establish a quiet zone at this location, working closely with local residents, businesses, and institutions, as well as state agencies, the rail operators, and the FRA. This has included filing of Notice of Intent to establish a quiet zone, coordinating with state and federal regulatory agencies, meeting formally and informally with stakeholders, and filing a Notice of Establishment for the quiet zone.

As a result of these efforts, the quiet zone was officially established on Saturday, September 15, 2018, at 12:01am. The specific elements of the quiet zone are the following: Installation of a median for 60’ on either side of the grade crossing, which is required to prevent motor vehicles from trying to cross over the center line and run around the railroad crossing gates.

Temporary closure of the existing driveway on the southwest corner of the crossing, which serves the parking lot owned by the Cambridge Montessori School (which also serves Jose’s Restaurant).

Page 2 of 2 Creation of a new temporary access point into the Cambridge Montessori School parking lot south of the new median. Relocation of an existing commercial driveway on the northeast corner of the crossing. Changes to signs, markings, and regulations to reflect the physical infrastructure changes.

In completing these changes, the City received tremendous cooperation from the local neighborhood, the Cambridge Montessori School, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, and local, state, and federal elected officials.

As a result of these coordinated efforts, we were able to implement the quiet zone three weeks earlier than originally expected, and did not experience any delays due to regulatory reviews or other external factors. Once construction commenced, the Department of Public Works and their contractor (Fred DeRoma and Sons) were able to quickly accomplish the work over a ten-day period, so that the quiet zone could be established within the stated timeframe.

Looking forward, the City has committed to pursuing FRA approval for an Alternative Safety Measure (ASM), that would allow us to shorten the median on Sherman Street, thereby restoring access to the driveway for the Cambridge Montessori School parking lot. Obtaining approval for an ASM requires more significant documentation and review, and is estimated to take 6-8 months to complete the process.

We expect to submit the initial notice to the FTA before the end of September, so that we can implement the ASM during the first half of 2019. In the longer term, we are also evaluating the feasibility and desirability of installing four quadrant gates that would allow for the removal of the median completely, but we need to look closely at the costs and benefits of this approach, as compared to simply maintaining a median.

Finally, it is important thank all of the residents, businesses, stakeholders, agencies, and elected officials for their patience, assistance, and hard work during this challenging process, which has ultimately led us to a positive outcome.

Throughout the last three months, we have updated the community through a dedicated web site, which provides a repository for all documents related to this initiative, as well as the weekly email updates that were sent to the community. We will continue to update the site and communicate via email on a regular basis as we pursue the next phase of improvements. The project website can be found at www.cambridgema.gov/shermanstreetcrossing.