Freight railroads are utilizing one thing referred to as Precession Scheduling to run longer trains with fewer crewmembers as a way to maximize income. To hopefully curb potential accidents, the Biden Administration mandated Tuesday a naked minimal that a minimum of two folks be aboard typically miles-long freight trains. Some trains, nevertheless, will get a go even on this naked bones fundamental security requirement.
Dangerous derailments, particularly the poisonous chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, prompted public scrutiny, however progress on new laws has moved at a glacial tempo. This new rule is the primary proposed since 2022. In a press release from the Federal Railroad Administration, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg mentioned:
“Common sense tells us that large freight trains, some of which can be over three miles long, should have at least two crew members on board – and now there’s a federal regulation in place to ensure trains are safely staffed. This rule requiring safe train crew sizes is long overdue, and we are proud to deliver this change that will make workers, passengers, and communities safer.”
Now, I wouldn’t contemplate a practice over a mile lengthy with two crewmembers “safely staffed.” Continuing on from Buttigieg’s instance, a crewmember is anticipated to stroll six miles if a three-mile-long practice is compelled to cease attributable to a problem on the different finish. During this prolonged hike, the practice is stopped wherever it’s for a minimum of an hour. Yes, requiring a second crewmember is a marked enchancment, nevertheless it barely reaches the naked minimal for security. The railroad corporations declare there’s no proof that bigger crews will make operations safer, however the smaller, much less protected crews had been one of many many complaints railroad employees delivered to the desk in 2021 when a nationwide freight strike loomed.
The new FRA rule doesn’t outright ban one-person crews. Existing single-handed operations, together with hauling hazardous supplies, can proceed in the event that they “do not pose significant safety risks to railroad employees, the public, or the environment.” The new rule additionally establishes an approval course of for brand new one-person crew operations.
Source: jalopnik.com