Houston outlines TrainWatch, quiet‑zone work and TrackSafe Houston outreach

City staff and rail partners on Thursday presented a series of initiatives aimed at reducing blocked crossings, improving pedestrian safety and giving first responders real‑time tools to avoid delays.

Colin Leupold, city traffic engineer, told the Government Operations Committee Houston has more than 700 at‑grade railroad crossings and that many lack sidewalks, crosswalks or up‑to‑date warning devices. He and other staff outlined potential improvements and a process for quiet‑zone requests, which require diagnostic work with the railroad, engineering design and corridor treatments before a federal quiet‑zone designation can take effect.

"Quiet zones improve the quality of life and can include safety enhancements," Leupold said, noting typical costs to implement range from $50,000 to $150,000 per crossing and that projects often require corridor‑level work rather than single crossing fixes.

David Wardlow, senior assistant director for Public Works’ financial management section, reviewed funding streams for grade‑separation and crossing improvements: discretionary federal grants (Federal Railroad Administration), MPO formula funds (STBG, CMAQ), state programs and recent legislative appropriations. Wardlow said a state railroad grade‑separation program has begun with roughly $250,000,000 cited for the first biennium and highlighted the HEART (Houston Area Rail Transformation) regional coordination effort to prioritize projects and pursue funding.

Union Pacific senior director Richard Zentek described the company’s TrackSafe Houston outreach: bilingual billboards, distribution of more than 1,100 safety booklets (620 English, 500 Spanish), school outreach with HISD and a planned microsite. He said the effort aims to pair community education with infrastructure work.

"TrackSafe Houston is our commitment to making rail safety visible, responsive and connected to community needs," Zentek said.

Jack Hanegraaff, leading the city’s TrainWatch and sensor pilots, described a two‑year testing program that paired crossing sensors and validation cameras to measure how often crossings are active and for how long. He said the city has been sharing sensor feeds with fire stations and testing integration with traffic management systems; the public TrainWatch map launched Friday in a limited form to ensure data quality.

"The TrainWatch board was launched Friday. It is meant to be informative, not just where the stop trains are," Hanegraaff said. He added that the city secured a $3,400,000 Safe Streets for All grant—currently in the agreement phase—to add intersection and crossing sensors, integrate data with computer‑aided dispatch and study signal preemption so emergency vehicles can exit stations more reliably.

Council members pressed staff on prioritization and community engagement. Staff said 40 requested quiet‑zone corridors cover more than 154 crossings and that prioritization generally follows a first‑in, first‑evaluated model but must also account for corridor scope and funding opportunities. Community speakers emphasized neighborhood impacts: Joetta Stevenson, president of the Greater 5th Ward Super Neighborhood, described long‑standing blockages that limit residents’ access to stores and medical care and recounted a recent pedestrian fatality; public commenters urged greater railroad accountability and consideration of off‑terminal holding yards to reduce in‑city congestion.

Staff said the TrainWatch pilot currently displays roughly 40 validated crossings publicly (out of about 70 test sites) while engineers continue to address data quality issues; they emphasized that the system’s value will grow as sensors are added and integrated with TranStar and mapping services.

The committee received the presentations; staff said they will continue coordinating with neighborhood groups, regional partners and the railroads and pursue funding opportunities for quiet zones, grade separations and technology pilots. No action was taken at the meeting.