Railroad Crossings Quiet Zone Compliance

Overview

As of Sept. 10, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) formally suspended all quiet zones within the City of St. Louis. Railroads operating through the City have been directed to resume routine train horn sounding at all affected crossings.

The Office of Mayor Cara Spencer was made aware of the FRA’s actions to suspend the City’s quiet zones via email late on Sept. 10, 2026. Unfortunately, the FRA had been sending communications by email to a former chief of staff who has not worked for the City for 16 months.

Once learning of the FRA’s requirements, the mayoral staff and City department leaders held an emergency meeting on Friday, Sept. 11, and submitted a request to the FRA for an extension before the quiet zone was suspended. That request for extension was denied.

The Street Department Director was appointed the city lead and immediately began verifying the FRA crossing list, establishing evaluation and repair teams, and built a plan of action based on the FRA’s information.

With initial planning complete, the Traffic and Lighting Division within the Street Department began the work at railroad crossings on Wednesday, Sept. 16, removing out-of-date railroad bars, inserting “stop bars” (painted bars in front of the crossings), and expedited an order for hundreds of new signs, all to bring the crossings into compliance as quickly as possible.