Residents who live with train horns sounding through downtown at all hours will get a chance to weigh in on the city's plan to silence them.
Pleasanton has scheduled a Railroad Quiet Zone Neighborhood Meeting for Monday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. at the Pleasanton Library, 400 Old Bernal Ave., according to the city's public meetings calendar. The listing was posted Oct. 14; no agenda or presentation had been attached as of Tuesday.
What a quiet zone does
Federal rules make engineers blow the horn four or more times, at 96 decibels or louder, before every public crossing. A quiet zone lifts that requirement once crossings get extra safety features, such as raised median islands that keep drivers from weaving around lowered gates.
Pleasanton's zone would take in the city's four public crossings on the Union Pacific line: Santa Rita Road, St. Mary Street, Rose Avenue and Angela Street. The tracks carry both freight and ACE (Altamont Corridor Express) commuter service through Niles Canyon and Sunol, across downtown and along Stanley Boulevard toward Livermore.
Sunol set up its own quiet zone in 2018, and Pleasanton's plan follows that model.
Where the project stands
The council approved a capital project in August 2025 to study and design the zone, partly in response to complaints from residents. On Dec. 16, 2025, it unanimously hired Kimley-Horn and Associates, the only firm to bid, under a contract capped at $168,858. The money came from surplus funds left over from the Bernal synthetic turf replacement project, The Independent reported at the time.
