2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 13b - Transportation
Chapter 245b - Railroad Operations
Section 13b-329 - (Formerly Sec. 16-145). Audible signals; distance from grade crossing when sounding is to commence; maximum decibel level regulations.

(a) Each engine used upon a railroad shall be supplied with an audible signal of sufficient amplification for existing circumstances, which audible signal shall be so attached to such engine as to be conveniently accessible to the engineer and in good order for use. Except where a wayside horn has been installed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, each person controlling the motions of an engine on a railroad shall commence sounding the audible signal when such engine is approaching and is within eighty rods of the place where such railroad crosses any highway at grade and shall keep such audible signal occasionally sounding until such engine has crossed such highway, provided when it appears to the Commissioner of Transportation upon the written complaint of an elected official of any town, city or borough wherein such crossing at grade is located that public safety requires the commencing of the sounding of the audible signal at a distance greater or lesser than eighty rods from such crossing at grade, the Commissioner of Transportation shall make such order in relation thereto as he deems advisable, provided in no event shall said Commissioner of Transportation order the sounding of any audible signal to commence at a distance of less than twenty-seven rods from any crossing at grade. The company in whose service such person may be shall pay all damages which may accrue to any person in consequence of any omission to comply with any provision of this subsection; and no railroad company shall knowingly employ an engineer who has been twice convicted of violating any provision of this subsection.

(b) A wayside horn may be used in lieu of a horn attached to an engine at any highway-rail grade crossing equipped with an active warning system consisting of, at a minimum, flashing lights and gates. Such wayside horn shall (1) conform to the federal requirements for wayside horn use, and (2) sound at a minimum of twenty-nine seconds prior to the train’s arrival at the crossing, while the lead locomotive is traveling across the crossing and occasionally thereafter until such engine has crossed such highway. Any entity installing a wayside horn shall comply with the federal requirements for written notice set forth in 49 CFR 222. For the purposes of this section, “wayside horn” has the same meaning as provided in 49 CFR 222.9, as amended from time to time.

(c) The Commissioner of Transportation, with the advice of the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, may establish by regulation the maximum decibel levels which may be emitted by any audible signal attached to a train engine, provided such maximum decibel level shall not be less than eighty-seven decibels.

(d) Any railroad company operating any train engine which is equipped with an audible signal which produces noise emissions in excess of the maximum decibel levels allowed for such devices as established by said Commissioner of Transportation is in violation of this section.

(1949 Rev., S. 5530; 1957, P.A. 382; P.A. 77-175; 77-614, S. 571, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 79-59, S. 1, 2; P.A. 11-80, S. 1; P.A. 14-199, S. 17.)

History: P.A. 77-175 provided for sounding of bell or whistle at greater distance then already established where public safety requires and also provided for a minimum distance and provided that the public utilities control authority with advice of commissioners of environmental protection and transportation may establish maximum decibel levels for noise emitting devices and set a minimum level of eighty-seven decibels and that company’s failing to comply with levels once established, shall be in violation of the section; P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 substituted “commissioner of transportation” for “public utilities control authority”, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-59 deleted references to bells and whistles and substituted therefor, “audible signal” and deleted provision for air whistle in lieu of steam whistle; in 1981 Sec. 16-145 transferred to Sec. 13b-329; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 14-199 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re exception for wayside horn, added new Subsec. (b) re requirements for use of wayside horn in lieu of horn attached to engine and redesignated existing Subsecs. (b) and (c) as Subsecs. (c) and (d), effective June 12, 2014.

Annotations to former section 16-145:

Company owes only ordinary care to persons on highway near railroad. 56 C. 457. Engineer is not usually required to sound both whistle and bell, but must use both if circumstances require. 59 C. 369. Engineer’s acts to be judged by circumstances as they appeared to him at the time. 60 C. 299. If engineer complies with statute as to signals, he fulfills his whole duty, in the absence of special circumstances. 72 C. 212. Failure to give warnings as negligence. 82 C. 144. Statute is for protection of users of highway crossings. 127 C. 331. Applies only to grade crossings over highways which are public ways. 136 C. 670. Reversible error for court to fail to refer to conflict in evidence as to whether crossing was a highway or private way crossing. 137 C. 353.

Cited. 15 CS 109; 21 CS 282.