Loud and long: Why trains' horns are ear-splitting

So, according to some riders, SEPTA trains can be hard on the ears.

Last week I covered a community meeting in Elkins Park that gave riders a chance to vent. One  complaint that came up was how loud train horns are.

After the meeting I got a little more information about what dictates how loud horns have to be. Federal regulations are enforced by the Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee, said Andrew Busch SEPTA spokesman.

Horns have to be between 96 and 110 decibels, a standard that takes into account the dense development in our region. There are also regulations that define when a train should honk. The horn needs to sound 15 to 20 seconds before the train arrives at a grade crossing, an area when road and rail intersect. They are also required to sound a short blast of noise if they see anything on the tracks. If it's an animal, a deer or cat, a sharp report from the horn usually scares it away.

Trains are actually not required to honk the horn when approaching a station, Busch said, unless train staff notice a person standing too near the edge of a platform.

After my story ran I got an email from one rider whose also felt SEPTA was assaulting his hearing. Todd Cohen, of Northeast Philadelphia, said he has big complaints about PA systems on regional rail.

"The majority of the time I ride the regional rail cars, the conductors blast, and I mean BLAST, their announcements throughout the trains," he wrote in an email last week. "I have noise cancelling headphones and even with the volume all the way up I can still hear it."

SEPTA responded by saying this was a complaint they hadn't heard before.

"It's not something we're aware of as an issue or a sore point with customers," Busch said. "We do test those every day before the trains go out to make sure they're operating at an appropriate level."

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After this blog posted Busch asked to amend his statement, ssying he may have misstated.

"We get some complaints about the announcements being too loud," he said, "others from passengers who have difficulty hearing the announcements, and there are also complaints about other issues customers experience with the announcements."

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I don't ride regional rail often enough to have noticed the volume problem, and I've heard the opposite complaints, that the announcements aren't loud enough or consistent enough, and that riders worry about missing their stops as a result.

What's your experience been? Are the PA systems blowing your ears out, or are you listening for even a hint of your stop being called. Any experiences you want to share, comment below or email me at jlaughlin@phillynews.com.