FREEPORT (AP) — The Downeaster passenger train soon will become a lot quieter for people living along the tracks in Freeport.

The Freeport Town Council has voted to enact a quiet zone for the town’s eight railroad crossings beginning Aug. 9. That means the Amtrak train will no longer sound its whistles and horns as it passes through town.

Residents who live near the track have complained about the noise since the Downeaster extended its service north of Portland to Freeport and Brunswick last November.

WMTW-TV (http://bit.ly/13H5hiw ) reports that councilors enacted the noise ban following a Maine Department of Transportation study showing there are fewer vehicles crossing the tracks than previously thought.

All the crossings have gates that go down when trains are approaching.

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