Train horns are blasting through Old Town Tacoma again after the Oct. 16 power outage damaged a $50,000 warning system installed just two months ago.

A power spike from the Pearl Street substation issue damaged the control panel of the wayside horn system at the Ruston Way and McCarver Street railroad crossing, Tacoma City Council member Sarah Rumbaugh said in an Oct. 19 newsletter to constituents, as first reported by The News Tribune.

The system is stuck in "fail-safe" mode. That means BNSF train operators must sound their horns at the crossing until the panel is replaced, Rumbaugh said.

When the crossing's older system broke down earlier this year, trains reverted to loud multi-directional horns that residents said kept them awake at night.

City staff and BNSF assessed the damage on the morning of Oct. 19, according to Rumbaugh. A replacement part has been ordered and the vendor is rushing shipment. Rumbaugh said the repair should be finished by "early next week."

The Oct. 16 substation issue knocked out power to about 49,000 Pierce County customers, hitting much of north Tacoma, Ruston and University Place, according to KING 5. Most customers had power restored within a couple of hours.

Old Town residents have dealt with this before. They complained for months about being kept awake after an older wayside horn system broke down early this year. The city spent about $50,000 on a replacement, which went live Aug. 20. A city public works official said at the time that the new system should last 15 to 20 years.

It lasted about two months.

City spokesperson Maria Lee told The News Tribune that since the horns started up again over the weekend, one person submitted a complaint through an online outreach form and three people filed 311 service requests. Others may have contacted Rumbaugh directly, Lee said.

Rumbaugh said in her newsletter that she understands the "inconvenience" but that crossing safety is important to the community.

"After a long summer with frequent horn blasts, I recognize the impact of the noise returning," she wrote.

Residents near the crossing can expect the horns to continue until the replacement part arrives and is installed, likely sometime the week of Oct. 26.