Madison’s local train whistle ban, which only allows the blowing of train whistles in case of emergency, will be superceded by a national regulation requiring the city to establish quiet zones along railways by June 2006.

The Federal Railroad Administration issued the nationwide standard Friday. According to Mayor Dave Cieslewicz’s spokesperson George Twigg, the ordinance is an effort to balance safety issues with quality-of-life issues in communities.

“The federal government wants a uniform standard because a number of communities were creating whistle bans on their own,” Twigg said.

Christy Bachmann of City of Madison Engineering said the threat and annoyance of train whistles has not been a reality for Madison residents for some time.

Signals and gates have the opportunity to replace the loud noise of train whistles at crossings, according to Steve Sonntag of the City of Madison Engineering Department.

Twigg said there are “detailed requirements” that will establish quiet zones based on the type of crossings, the type of traffic and sight lines along the railway.

At minimum, flashing lights and gates are required by the law to be installed at railroad crossings, according to a release. At certain crossings, additional safety measures may need to be installed to act as warning devices to “compensate” for the lack of train horns, the release said.

“There will be some expense and some planning that will have to go into upgrading crossings,” Twigg said.

The citywide train whistle ban, which the City Council passed in October 2001, will remain effective until June 2006. The Final Train Horn Rule, which will become effective nationwide June 24, allows cities already with ordinances a one-year grace period.

Cieslewicz lobbied for a five-year-long grace period to establish quiet zones during his March trip to Washington, D.C., according to Twigg.

“The mayor was out there to advocate rules that will help maintain quiet zones,” Bachmann said.

Any additional time is helpful for the city to meet the safety requirements of the new law, Twigg said, adding the initial rule would not have even allowed the city of Madison a full year to complete the requirements.