I love Marietta, but not the train horn noise.  Often,  it's not a problem and I don't notice it, but occasionally, and it seems more often, the blasting of the horn can be disruptive.

The situation has become more urgent, however.  What many don't know is there is  talk of a new Amtrak  passenger line coming through Marietta after Atlanta finds a new hub location. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/atlanta-backs-study-new-amtrak-station-site-community-survey-open This could be a wonderful addition for our city and might give us easy access to places such as Savannah and Nashville, however, it is likely to bring in additional noise. Without intervention, this could change the entire character of Marietta.

As our neighboring cities of Smyrna and Acworth, and Cartersville (eff 11/3/25) have demonstrated, the creation of a quiet zone is an attainable solution for train horn noise. These cities have successfully upgraded their infrastructure to eliminate the persistent blast of train horns.   

Studies have also indicated once a train quiet zone is in place, property values will increase. One such study in 2016 indicates up to an 18% increase for property located in the highest decibel zones.   https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017&context=economics_facpubs  Increasing property values is not the main objective, but it would not be a bad outcome.

The time to prepare for this possibility is now. Establishing a quiet zone takes ample funding, years of planning ,  and we will likely need to integrate with any new train lines coming through.   To begin, we will need our city council to vote for SPLOST funds dedicated to this project.  They  would improve the existing infrastructure, such as adding advanced warning systems and better signage at railway crossings. This will ensure both safety and peace for our residents.  

Money used for this initiative could even help save lives and even help prevent environmental disaster. One of the requirements of a Quiet Zone is to ensure that the crossings are as safe or more so than if a train was sounding its horn on approach. There are a variety of safety measure options entities can use to accomplish this and vary by crossing. In addition to the required two-quadrant gates, lights and bells, improvements could be four-quadrant gates, raised curbs in the median, channelization and wayside horns. The train engineers still retain the discretion to sound the horn in an emergency. 

I urge the Marietta City Council and relevant authorities to prioritize the creation of a train quiet zone. Let’s come together to bring about these necessary changes and keep or even improve our quality of life.

Please sign this petition to show your support for a  peaceful Marietta and to prompt the action required to alleviate this pressing issue. You can forward the link to share with anyone who enjoys Marietta and or lives in the area.   Note:  For those concerned about privacy, there is a place where you can indicate your name and address information is not public.