Mayor Dana Ralph says Federal Railroad Administration approved Kent train quiet zone for Burlington Northern tracks

Dana Ralph, mayor of Kent, announced that the Federal Railroad Administration has approved a train quiet zone that covers the Burlington Northern tracks through the city, and said the change could take effect as early as Aug. 24. "The train horn will no longer sound as the trains are coming through town," Ralph said, adding that the decision followed more than a decade of work.

The quiet zone is intended to reduce disruptive long-horn blasts for residents and businesses near the east-side Burlington Northern line while leaving crossing safety devices in place. Ralph said gates will continue to lower, lights will flash and the crossing bell will sound; conductors will still use the horn if they observe a safety hazard such as a vehicle or person attempting to cross the tracks.

Ralph, who said the city worked with the railroad, the local utilities commission and the Federal Railroad Administration, credited the public works team and the City Council for persistent efforts that led to the approval. "This is over a decade of work with the railroad," she said, and called the quiet zone a "massive improvement for the quality of life in downtown Kent and all the way up the hill."

Ralph specified the approved quiet zone applies to the Burlington Northern tracks, which she described as the busier of Kent's two rail lines; she said the Union Pacific tracks on the west side are not included. She emphasized that the horn remains an active safety tool: "If the conductor of the train sees something, whether it be a car or someone that is trying to cut across those tracks... the horn will still happen."

The mayor did not provide a year for the Aug. 24 date. The announcement did not record any local vote or ordinance; the approval came from the federal rail authority. The city will continue to rely on crossing arms, lights and bells as the primary engineered safety measures while the quiet zone is in effect.

The city credited decades of coordination among municipal staff and federal and railroad partners as the reason for the change; next steps for public communication and any additional operational details were not specified in the update.