ANAHEIM : Problem of Train Noise to Be Studied

After a testy debate with angry residents, the City Council this week approved a plan to study a nagging train noise problem in a residential community near Anaheim Stadium.

Residents who live near the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway tracks complained that having the city study the problem before acting means it will take too long to abate the noise, which they said has become unbearable since a second railway line opened in January.

“It is not an acceptable solution to us,” resident Kathy Wright said to the council. “You have a long-term plan we don’t want to be involved with. We want a short-term plan. We want our lives back to normal, where they should be. We have a problem that’s horrendous.”

The residents want a sound wall built along the tracks, which run within yards of residences. This would cost an estimated $3 million, which the city said it cannot afford.

The city will commission an environmental study and enlist financial support from nearby cities, county, state and federal transportation authorities. They will also explore creating an assessment district, so residents could pay for a sound wall.