The replacement of the old diesel trains with electric ones on the California commuter rail line serving the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley was supposed to be good for the environment. However, residents of San Mateo County didn’t like the horns of the electric trains that were rolled out in August.

In a meeting with city council and train officials on 30 January, San Mateo residents complained that the frequency (from morning to night) and the loudness of the horns were disruptive and unbearable near the Hayward Park station, the Daily Journal reported.

The officials contended that regulations required the blowing of horns at public crossings, and the noise level was legal. Residents living near the tracks clamored for the establishment of quiet zones or sections of rail at least a half mile in length where train horns are muted.

Meanwhile, in France, it was not the trains but a commuter that was loud. A male commuter at the Nantes station was fined on 2 February for being noisy.

Complaining about the 200-euro fine, the man told CNN affiliate BFMTV that he hired a lawyer to contest the penalty in court.

The man was penalized after a station security guard warned him he would be fined 150 euros if he did not turn off his speakerphone while he was talking to his sister.

When the man failed to comply thinking it was a joke, the female guard issued him a ticket. He failed to pay the fine on the spot so 50 euros was added to the 150-euro fine.