Metrolink Horns

A Glendale reader questioned the loudness of the horns on Metrolink commuter trains (letter, June 28). Horns on all Metrolink trains meet or exceed all federal loudness standards for warning devices on trains. Out of sensitivity for residents near our tracks, modifications have been made to our horn system to lessen volume to the side and rear of the train.

Your reader was actually responding to the effectiveness of the horn system. A driver at an intersection with Metrolink tracks receives plenty of warning of an approaching train from the bells, flashing lights and lowering gates. At the speed at which most trains travel, a driver who waits to hear the horn is already in significant danger. Train horn blasts are only one of many warnings given to drivers and pedestrians who risk death by trying to beat the train. A horn that can be heard many blocks away to the side of the train is not providing any warning to those who may be in danger and can be quite disturbing to the communities Metrolink serves.

DAVID SOLOW, Deputy Exec. Dir.

Operations and Engineering

Metrolink