Why aren’t trains, traffic signals always in sync?

Doctor Detour answers your transportation questions.

Q: Brightline trains go by so fast that traffic signals are definitely out of sync. Recently, the lights turned green at the railroad crossing on Hillsboro Boulevard and before they could change to red the train passed through and crossing gates went back up. Can traffic engineers fix this problem? Brightline is getting a lot of blame for issues they have little control over. Pete Montalbano, Deerfield Beach.

A: Even though Brightline trains zip through railroad crossings twice an hour, Broward traffic engineers said the express passenger trains don’t disrupt traffic signal timing as much as the longer, slower freight trains do.

Some freight trains can take up to 10 minutes to pass through a crossing and that means longer red lights, which throws off the timing for traffic. It can take up to three red-green cycles to get the traffic signals back in sync. That problem doesn’t exist for the shorter Brightline trains because they pass through crossings much faster, engineers said.

Brightline officials said they worked with traffic engineers during the design phase to make sure there were no

traffic signal malfunctions.

As part of the railroad crossing upgrades, there are traffic signal connections at the crossings so traffic lights can communicate with the warning lights as a train approaches, and then turn red.

Traffic signals were placed on some of the same overhead structures as the flashing railroad warning lights. This would allow drivers to see the traffic lights before they reached the crossing.

Brightline officials said signal design plans were provided to each of the traffic engineering departments along the rail corridor and their input was included in the safety features.

Some freight trains can take up to 10 minutes to pass through a crossing and that means longer red lights, which throws off the timing for traffic.

Q: I’m a little confused about quiet zones. Do they include the tracks that parallel I-95 in Hollywood that the Tri-Rail runs on, or only the tracks that Brightline runs on that parallel Dixie Highway? Mitch Gordon, Hollywood.

A: Quiet zones are already in place at 10 of the crossings along the CSX tracks that Tri-Rail and freight trains use west of Interstate 95.

Once the rest of the safety upgrades are finished at all crossings, then Brightline, Tri-Rail, and freight trains will no longer be required to sound their horns at every crossing. This should happen in spring or summer.

However, the trains still would sound their horns if there was an emergency, such as a person or vehicle on the tracks.

Railroad officials have said repeatedly that crossing train tracks anywhere but at designated crossings and ignoring gates and warning signals is illegal and considered trespassing.