Fall River residents raise alarms about nighttime noise, idling at Weavers Cove layover; city and MBTA to review

Residents living near the Weavers Cove layover told the Fall River City Public Safety Committee on May 19 that nighttime train noise and engine idling are disrupting sleep and damaging property, and they asked city and MBTA officials for immediate remedies.

Dr. Powell, who lives on North Main Street across from the layover, cited World Health Organization guidance and equipment readings to describe what she said were repeated late-night disturbances. "The World Health Organization recommends that nighttime noise levels in urban settings should not exceed 40 decibels outside a home to protect health and human well-being," she said, and told the committee she measured an "average continuous sound level of 61.6 decibels" on May 2 at about 10:55 p.m. She also read a separate iPhone measurement of "60.4 decibels" at 1 a.m. during the May 4–5 period.

The noise complaints included two recurring concerns: long periods when locomotives are left running at the layover (what residents described as idling), and horn blasts required near crossings. Resident Ollie Spears told the committee the vibrations have affected his home: "My foundation of my wall definitely just [is] falling apart," he said, and said he must use white noise at night because he cannot sleep through the disturbances.

City emergency-management and public-safety officials said they are coordinating with MBTA and railroad operators to clarify operational practices at Weavers Cove and to seek mitigation. Gene Fox of South Coast Rail and Jean Fox (MBTA representative identified in meeting materials) said the MBTA and its operator monitor operations and that some activities are federally regulated. Jean Fox noted that train horns are a federal safety requirement and that communities can explore Quiet Zones only through a Federal Railroad Administration process; she also explained operational limits the operator follows. "Evidently, that's the Keolis protocol. If it gets below 10 degrees, they're gonna make them run anyway," she said during discussion of cold-weather idling.

Officials told the committee that the activity level at Weavers Cove has been higher than initially anticipated, and they will ask railroad operations and Keolis to clarify the distinction between "light maintenance" (the stated purpose for the layover) and "major maintenance" that would justify more intensive overnight work. Council members and staff said they will raise residents' concerns directly with the MBTA and Keolis at a follow-up public meeting on Thursday and in a scheduled tabletop exercise and public-safety coordination meeting on June 10.

Committee members and staff discussed mitigation options that will be raised with MBTA and the operator, including vegetation (berms and trees), changes to overnight work timing, and operational adjustments to reduce idling. Dr. Powell offered to help plant vegetation: "I will volunteer to buy 20 trees," she told the committee.

Officials also described notification and enforcement tools for safety and trespass prevention, and said they will continue to collect complaints and objective measurements to inform any formal requests to the MBTA for operational changes. The committee did not adopt a new ordinance or formal policy during the meeting; members said city staff will pursue further information and present findings at upcoming public sessions.

Ending: Committee leaders reiterated that state and MBTA officials will be invited to the Thursday public meeting and to the June 10 tabletop exercise where operational thresholds, overnight procedures, and specific mitigation measures will be discussed further.