Train traffic over by Harmon Cove has shattered the peaceful tranquility the housing complex was once known for, according to residents.
“This has turned into nothing but a train yard, like what they have over in Hoboken,” said resident Barbara Maher. “Between all the trains they have sitting outside, I’m worried that this is a health hazard because I don’t know what those trains are carrying. I don’t know if they’re carrying flammable liquids or what. I feel this is an environmental issue, too, because of all the soot that comes out of those trains. And now, over by Tower 3, you have the blowing of the horns all during the night.”
Maher has lived in Tower 1 for 23 years. Her mother lives in Tower 3.
Built by Hartz Mountain Industries over 20 years ago, Harmon Cove includes four separate condo and townhouse complexes totaling at least 1,312 housing units. The Towers – three interconnected high-rise condos – are comprised of 562 units.
The twin problems of blaring horns and idling trains has made the high-rise luxury condo complex unlivable, according to Maher. She said that idling trains have been ticketed at least two times for sitting too long, but the problem continues. On Tuesday, Sept. 30, for example, Maher said an idling train sat on the tracks nearly four hours.
New Jersey Transit, Norfolk Southern, and CSX are the three railways that use the tracks by Harmon Cove most often.
New Jersey Transit is the state commuter rail system. According to the company Web site, Norfolk Southern is the country’s “largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.” CSX transports a wider range of products, including food and consumer goods, building supplies, agricultural products, coal, machinery, and minerals.
“It’s a quality of life issue. When the trains pass, my windows rattle. Who wants to live with that,” another resident, Linda Carroll, asked in August. “This has been going on for a while and it’s only getting worse.”
“I’ve complained,” Maher said. “The mayor has been here. I’ve called Trenton. But I feel like we can’t get anywhere.”
A spokeswoman for the Towers’ management company refused to answer any questions regarding the complex.
Noisy horns
According to Maher, who recently stayed with her mother in Tower 3 for a few weeks, trains sound their horns about 500 feet before they reach Harmon Cove. Horn blasts, she said, go on throughout the day when train traffic is heaviest and can continue well into the night.
“I have talked to the Harmon Cove residents and I did make some calls to see if there was anything that could be done, especially about the noise late at night,” Mayor Dennis Elwell said. “Unfortunately, that’s a work area because they are doing some maintenance on the tracks right now. Most of the work is done at night and you have men working on the tracks. By law the conductors must sound their horns before they reach a work area to alert the workers on the tracks. So there’s nothing we can do about that.”
Elwell said residents should notice fewer horn blasts around the end of the year, when most of the track work near Harmon Cove is scheduled to be completed.
Elwell estimated that he has received 10 train-related complaints from Harmon Cove residents since June.
Idling a health concern
John Demjanick, program coordinator for the Hudson Regional Health Commission located on County Ave. in Secaucus, said his office has so far received no complaints regarding trains in the area.
“The railroads are, of course, federally regulated, and the horns are a big problem I know. But that problem is beyond our ability to address,” Demjanick said. “But we still have some enforcement capabilities in regards to the idling of trains.”
According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), idling vehicles can release many pollutants into the air, including greenhouse gasses, nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde, and other cancer-causing agents. Last year, the state passed a law prohibiting diesel-based vehicles – including trains – from idling for more than three minutes. DEP inspectors enforce this law and can issue violations to vehicles that aren’t in compliance. The Hudson Regional Health Commission helps the DEP enforce state environmental laws.
But at least one railroad spokesperson argued that federal regulations trump this state mandate.
“We don’t let our trains sit idling for long periods of time without good reason, because naturally we want to conserve fuel,” said Norfolk Southern spokesman Rudy Husband. “New Jersey is part of the Northeast corridor and there’s a lot of train traffic in that region. So it could be that our trains are idling while they wait for a signal to change, or wait for traffic to clear on the tracks ahead of them.”
When asked why a train would sit for more than a few minutes, Husband said, “In railroading, 30 minutes, 45 minutes is not a long time to wait at all. In fact, long wait times are common. To turn off a train engine and then restart it takes time. We’re federally regulated and my guess is federal law preempts the New Jersey law because states can’t enforce laws that disrupt interstate commerce.”
Husband said in a later interview that state and local idling laws do not apply to freight rail companies because federal laws override them.
Representatives for CSX and New Jersey Transit did not return calls seeking comment.
Demjanick admits it can be difficult to enforce state law also because, “the federal government has different regulations for different [locomotive] engines and how long they can idle. It’s very convoluted and it makes enforcement difficult.”
‘Part of the background’
All of which just frustrates Maher.
“We have balconies, but we can’t enjoy our balconies because the trains are out there. It isn’t pleasant living here anymore, it really isn’t,” she said. Not all residents mind the trains, however.
“I just take it in stride,” said Dan McDonough, during a phone interview on another subject last week. “The trains just become part of the background.”
After taking the phone to his balcony he added, “Listen, there goes a train now. We get more noise from ambulances going to Meadowlands Hospital.”
As the phone call continued, an ambulance siren soon drowned out the sound of the passing train.
Residents who wish to complain to the Hudson Region Health Commission about idling trains can call Program Coordinator John Demjanick at (201) 223-1133. Hudson People can also call the DEP Northern Field Office at (973) 656-4444.
Comments on this story can be sent to: awright@hudsonreporter.com.