Hillside residents upset over freight train horns blaring overnight: 'We cannot sleep'

HILLSIDE, Ill. (WLS) -- People living near railroad tracks in west suburban Hillside are making some noise about freight train horns that blow at all hours of the night.

Rail officials say they have to do it by law, due to the type of crossings in Hillside.

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Some homes sit just a few hundred feet from the train tracks.

The tracks are for freight trains, which get less traffic than commuter lines. But when the trains go through, residents say they make sure you hear them.

It's the familiar but ear-piercing sound of the horn that the engineer blows on a train when it approaches a crossing. And it's a sound some Hillside residents say they are tired of hearing in the middle of the night.

"We cannot sleep at night without these train blasts as they come through," Becky Hohe said.

Stacey Burton lives across the street from the tracks a few doors down from the crossing at Wolf Road. She says she's considering moving because of the trains.

"It's caused a lot of sleepless nights, being woken up. My bed shakes at night," Burton said.

Canadian National officials say by law they have to blow the horns at crossings.

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In a statement, they say "Safety is a core value at CN ... Federal regulations require locomotive horns begin sounding 15-20 seconds before entering public at grade crossings."

"They're required to blow their horns because the crossings have not had minor safety improvements," resident Roger Romanelli said.

But several nearby towns have been able to avoid the horns by upgrading their crossings with four gates and other improvements allowing them to establish quiet zones.

Hillside officials say they are working on making those safety improvements.

"Working with the agencies, we've been able to reduce it down to about a half a million over the three intersections," Hillside Administrator Joe Pisano said.

Residents say they want Canadian National to foot part of the bill.

"The railroad has deep pockets. They need to spend some of that," resident George Homula said.

Hillside officials say they are planning another public hearing on the issue soon.

They says they hope to work with Canadian National to find a solution.