Residents press council over train noise at Wismuth/Wissman station; VTA COO to meet with neighborhood

Residents living near the Wismuth/Wissman Station told the Mountain View City Council on Oct. 14 they have endured years of increasing noise from VTA trains and asked the council to press VTA and the California Public Utilities Commission on mitigation measures.

Brad Volmer, speaking for neighbors at Wismuth Station, said the neighborhood has suffered "relentless noise" for more than two years and asked the council to press for seven actions, including creation of a quiet zone between Central Expressway and Bayshore, elimination of train horns at stations and crossings, reduced crossing-bell volume, installation of noise barriers or soundproofing, maintenance to reduce rolling-noise sources, adoption of quieter train technology, and formation of a neighborhood committee with review authority for VTA changes.

Council member Kalser told the speakers and audience that the VTA chief operating officer will meet with him, the residents and the public-works director the next day at the station to discuss concerns. "We are stepping up our action, and we are grateful that the chief operating officer is actually gonna be out here," Kalser said, adding the city is seeking constructive action. Council members who live in the affected area said they were recused from participating in any future formal decision that would present a conflict of interest; Council member Kalser described the meeting as a step toward direct engagement with VTA leadership.

Why it matters Noise from commuter rail can materially affect residents’ quality of life. Quiet zones, noise barriers, operational changes, and equipment maintenance are among the standard approaches municipalities pursue with rail agencies to reduce community impacts; those measures typically require coordination with VTA, Caltrans, and the CPUC and sometimes entail capital and operating costs outside city control.

Next steps Council member Kalser and public-works staff will meet with VTA leadership and neighborhood representatives the following day; staff will brief the council on outcomes of that meeting and any follow-up required to pursue mitigation measures with regional partners.