Fitler Square Residents Rally Against Railroad Noise Pollution
Fitler Square Residents Rally Against Railroad Noise Pollution
Residents are confronting one of the largest rail companies in North America over relentless noise from idling trains, sparking community meetings and calls for legal action to address the disturbance
By James Young
For years, residents on the western edge of Fitler Square have complained about noise pollution created by the CSX freight railroad that runs along the Schuylkill River.
In a community meeting last week meant to address the noise issue, residents had a chance to voice their frustration.
Among them was Samir, a resident of the One Riverside condominium complex on S 25th St, who spoke about how the noise issues have affected his family. One of his three children is on the autism spectrum and struggles with “sensory sensitivity.” This sensitivity can lead to issues with sleep; Samir stated that due to the idling trains, his son needs to “wear noise-cancelling headphones in order to sleep.” The impact of the noise pollution has led to issues with the child’s attendance and performance in school.
Celeste Simon, another One Riverside resident, said that “there are often up to six locomotives idling” for long periods of time. She emphasized that this issue affects not only residents of One Riverside, but also anybody who enjoys Schuylkill River Park.
Later in the meeting, another One Riverside resident played several audio recordings of the noises created by the idling trains. Several attendees remarked that the noise was even louder in person, with one resident standing up to exclaim, “In real life, it’s way louder than that!”
A Neighborhood Coalition Speaks Out
CSX, one of the largest rail companies in North America, owns roughly half of the freight lines on the East Coast. On April 30th, a community meeting was held at the Ethical Society building adjacent to Rittenhouse Square to discuss potential solutions to the noise issue.
In attendance were several dozen residents of One Riverside and other nearby buildings (such as Rivers Edge and Locust on the Park) as well as representatives from the Center City Residents’ Association (CCRA) and representatives of Senator Bob Casey, City Council President Kenyatta Johnson, and Mayor Cherelle Parker.
To begin the meeting, CCRA Government Relations Committee member Matthew Fontana gave some background on previous negotiations between CSX and the City. In 2007, Fitler Square residents asked CSX to build overpasses over the railroad so that pedestrians could safely cross the tracks. CSX refused, so residents asked the Mayor’s office to take action, resulting in a lawsuit against CSX.
In April 2007, the case was seen by a federal judge, and the two sides eventually settled on a consent decree, a type of settlement which resolves a dispute without admission of liability from either party. CSX agreed to construct the overpasses, and the matter was settled for the time being.
Noisy Idling Trains
However, another dispute arose when CSX began to schedule crew changes for their trains while the trains were directly adjacent to One Riverside and the Schuylkill River Park. These crew changes are the source of the noise complaints: as Fontana explained, it is in the company’s “operational interest” to leave the trains running while awaiting a crew change, because if the trains were to be shut off, the new crew would be required to perform safety checks on the entire length of the train before turning it back on. While awaiting the crew change, the CSX trains often spend “days at a time” idling on the tracks.
In an email to the Fitler Focus, CSX spokesperson Sheriee Bowman said that “it is important to recognize that there has been significant new development adjacent to our tracks in the area and [it’s] important to understand that trains run on a closed network with limited capacity.”
Bowman continued: “If there are options that are safe and provide the necessary space for trains to stop away from residential areas, crews will look for them.”
In 2017, CCRA commissioned a noise pollution study to better understand the issues caused by the trains idling. The study found that the level of noise could reach up to 100 decibels, equivalent to a loud concert or a helicopter taking off. These levels of noise were “often sustained for up to 36 hours at a time.” The City government lodged a complaint against CSX, and for a time, the locations of crew changes were shifted to avoid the Schuylkill River Park area.
But in 2022, for unknown reasons, the change was reverted, and the noise issues began once more.
Bowman, the CSX spokesperson, acknowledged that “idling trains can be disruptive and inconvenient to the public,” and said the company takes steps to reduce idling. These steps range from new rules for crews “that would require shutting down locomotives when a train needs to be held and weather permits”, to technical solutions that aim to reduce noise and pollution while a train idles.
Multiple Fitler Square residents spoke at the meeting. Some clarified that they did not mind the noises of trains going by, but the constant idling was a major source of frustration. One speaker remarked, “We all agreed to purchase an apartment by the train tracks, not a trainyard,” and another elaborated, “They’re using the tracks as a trainyard just to save money.”
Looking Forward
Fontana assured the audience that there is a concrete plan to address residents’ concerns. According to him, an article of the 2007 consent decree states that CSX must work with the City government to negotiate locations for crew changes.
Christopher Johnson, a representative of Senator Bob Casey, said that “there’s a lot of value in these personal stories and testimonies,” and seemed confident that the issue would be addressed.
Dillon Mahoney, legislative director for Council President Kenyatta Johnson, stated that “[Johnson] wants to do everything possible to address these quality-of-life issues.”
Additional reporting by David Aragon
An earlier version of this article mistakenly used the term “consensus decree.” We have corrected the terminology to “consent decree.” We regret the mistake.