FALMOUTH — The town is expected to take steps to expand its no-whistle zone before the Amtrak Downeaster extends passenger service from Portland to Freeport and Brunswick next year.

The Town Council heard from several residents Monday night who live near railroad crossings at Blackstrap, Falmouth, Field and Woodville roads and support an expanded no-whistle zone.

The council will vote Dec. 12 on a proposal to spend as much as $137,000 to make additional safety improvements at the four crossings so train engineers won’t have to blow their whistles as they approach.

“We’re used to the trains,” said George Burns, a longtime Falmouth Road resident. “We’ve never gotten used to the whistles.”

To accommodate the faster, more frequent Downeaster, Amtrak and Pan Am Railways have upgraded 30 miles of track from Portland to Brunswick, as well as gates and signals at 36 crossings, according to the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority.

The town must make additional safety improvements to preserve no-whistle zones at Blackstrap and Falmouth roads and add quiet zones at Field and Woodville roads.

The improvements will include the addition of raised road medians, each 60 to 100 feet long, to channel motor vehicle traffic as it approaches the crossings. The crossings already have gates.

Cumberland officials are considering similar safety improvements at several railroad crossings.

The five-car Downeaster will travel 30 to 70 mph, depending on track conditions and population density, according to the rail authority. Freight trains currently run 10 to 20 mph in most areas, but can go as fast as 40 mph.

The number of trains also will increase. The Downeaster will make three round trips per day where most residents and motorists currently see four to eight freight trains per day, each with three locomotives and 50 cars.

Without a quiet zone, train engineers must sound the whistle at least one-quarter mile or 20 seconds before a railroad crossing when traveling 60 mph, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

Money for the crossing upgrades would come from the town’s undesignated fund, said Town Manager Nathan Poore. The road work would be done next spring and summer.