Quiet Time: Glencoe gets trains to silence horns

The abundance of noise that has vexed Glencoe officials and residents for nearly half a year has finally reached the end of the line.

Village Manager Phil Kiraly announced during the board of trustees’ Thursday, Jan. 15 meeting that the “disruptive” train horn noise that rode its way into town last year is coming to an end.

Kiraly has for months provided updates on what he and village staffers have described as the “abundance of train horn use” Glencoe residents have been subjected to “over the past six or so months.”

The increased train noise in town was a result of new safety technology installed on all commuter trains, Glencoe officials have repeatedly said, often noting that the technology does not recognize the historical exemption prohibiting train horns that the town was previously granted.

More specifically, the increased horn usage was part of federally mandated positive train control systems, Kiraly said Jan. 15, again reiterating that “confusion over” and “difficulty applying the historical regulations that have governed the use of train horns in Glencoe for decades” added to the issue.

As part of his remarks during the meeting, Kiraly said Glencoe officials received word in early 2026 from the federal rail administration that the village’s “historical quiet zones are valid and in place and are to be adhered to.”

“This is very important because it was the critical piece in the puzzle to get our friends at the (Union Pacific) to update their systems to eliminate the use of the automated train horns,” Kiraly said.

Union Pacific officials confirmed that the company’s systems will be updated to ensure the horns are used only for emergencies or during construction and not during regular operations, according to Kiraly.

Additionally, Kiraly said the system updates, according to Union Pacific representatives, would be completed by Friday, Jan. 23, meaning all “horns for regular operations would cease by that date.”

Glencoe officials in mid-2025 first detailed the increased train noise and provided ongoing updates at Village Board meetings and through social media detailing their attempts to quell the disruptions.

The village mainly worked with representatives from Metra, Union Pacific and the Federal Rail Administration to push toward what officials repeatedly called a “lasting solution” to the issue.

Kiraly said during the Jan. 15 meeting that there was a delayed response to the matter from federal officials “due in large part to a backlog of information from the federal government shutdown last fall and them finally getting through that backlog.”

Glencoe’s village manager called reaching the solution a “team” effort while noting the situation presented “one of the most bureaucratically complicated issues that I’ve ever encountered in my quarter of a century in local government.”

“We recognize how disruptive this has been to our residents and to our business community,” Kiraly said. “We’re very grateful to the (Federal Rail Administration) and the staff who kept with it and continued to keep us up to date and up to speed.”

Village President Howard Roin echoed Kiraly’s comment, lauding staff for their dedication to addressing what officials had at one time described as the “extreme increase” in train horns.

“These days, the federal government is not necessarily our friend but the federal railroad administration was our friend,” Roin said.

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