Wind increasing. A few clouds from time to time. High 63F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph..
Windy and partly cloudy early. Mostly cloudy with diminishing winds later at night. Low 51F. WNW winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph.
Updated: May 26, 2026 @ 12:35 am
Editor,
For nearly two years since Caltrain launched electric trains, San Mateo residents have endured relentless Caltrain horn noise pollution beginning as early as 5:30 a.m. and continuing until 12:45 a.m. Hundreds of thousands of people are repeatedly blasted by horns day after day along the entire Caltrain line.
In January 2025, more than 65 San Mateo residents attended a meeting with Caltrain to demand action. Yet almost nothing has changed. There have been periods lasting weeks when train horns were rarely heard — proving this problem can be reduced — but the excessive horn blasting always returns.
I personally measured Caltrain horn levels at Hayward Park Station at 104.1 decibels, even though 96 decibels is the federal minimum requirement. Horns are also now being blown in locations where they were not routinely used before the electric trains began service.
Residents throughout San Mateo and the Bay Area are being subjected to unnecessary noise pollution that disrupts sleep, harms health and quality of life, and reduces property values.
Caltrain has had almost two years to address this issue and has failed to do so. Voters should remember this when Caltrain asks for additional funding. If there is a sales tax increase measure on the ballot this fall to address Caltrain’s budget shortfall, I urge residents to vote NO and start spreading the word now.
Enough is enough.
Debra Rosenfeld
San Mateo
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(4) comments
96 decibels is the federal minimum requirement. The key word is minimum.
Has anyone ever questioned this outdated horn blast practice? We are not living in the 19th and 20th century any more. Why not ask our useless senators to submit a bill canceling this antiquated requirement in urban areas? Your strategy could include ensuring Trump's support for the horn blasts. Then, the senators' TDS will kick in enhancing the bill's success.
It’s my understanding that horn blasts are required by law/ordinance if approved safety devices are not installed at railroad crossings. And also to serve as a warning to humans and animals who may be on, or near, railroad tracks. Perhaps an enquiring reporter, or contributor, could do the homework and educate others.
Options? Cancel all trains in urban areas. Cancel horn blasts, sacrifice a few lives, human or otherwise, and then return to blasting horns. Meanwhile, perhaps wasteful government can hire a few consultants for $millions to propose alternatives. And of course, propose tax measures to obtain another $billion to implement solutions, such as installing optical, thermal, and laser imaging along with supersized air compressors to blow aside any obstructions on the tracks.
You're right that the train horn blasts are too much. I don't agree with defunding because of this, but I respect that opinion because it seems like there's no other way to get their attention. Maybe they should publicly address why they blast the horn? Maybe they already have?
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