MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, MI - Efforts to put in place a Railroad Quite Zone in Meridian Township date back to 2015. This movement began with the creation of a community Facebook page addressing the issue, and updating members on the efforts progress. However, the Facebook page has been inactive since April of 2019.

According to a preliminary study done by Abonmarche in 2017, there are two railroad crossings of interest, the CSX and CN. The CSX line is approximately 5.5 miles long and runs from East Mount Hope Road to Meridian Road in the Charter Township of Meridian. The CN runs around 6.7 miles through Meridian Township from Hagadorn Road to Green Road.

In March, a member of the Meridian Township community, Erin Mock, contacted the Township Board through an email regarding her concerns about Railroad Quite Zones. She has experienced the noise pollution first had, due to her homes close proximity to the railroad tracks. Mock has lived in Meridian Township since 2019, but was only made aware of the Railroad Quite Zone solution recently.

“I have heard from many of my neighbors how disruptive the trains have been, including one family with 5 children who are struggling to sleep through noise at night,” wrote Mock.

Trains pass through residential and commercial areas twenty or more times a day, and do not rest at night.

A 2017 memo from Phil Deschaine, Township Trustee and Board Representative to the Transportation Commission at the time, and now Township Treasurer, explains the cost of these railroad updates. Upgrading all 5.5 miles of CSX crossings will cost about $648,490, and $600,000 of this is due to upgrades needed at the Meridian Road and Hulett Road crossings. A less expensive option is to extend the quiet zone from the Okemos Road crossing to Van Atta Road crossing, which would only be a total cost of $27,440. The CN line would cost approximately $7,500 to meet the requires standards. The recommended Z-Gates for Haslett Road crossing would cost $30,000.

No further information or response was provided at the June 15 Township Board Meeting.