Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday, April 2, announced a new safety rule requiring most trains to have at least two crew members, aiming to improve safety in the railroad industry. The move comes after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, last year. The train had three crew members on board when it derailed, spilling hazardous vinyl chloride and igniting.
“America’s averaged more than one train derailment per day. For as long as I’ve been alive,” Buttigieg said, noting that the new federal mandate to prevent railroads from reducing crew sizes is supported by the review of over 13,000 comments during a four-month period.
“The rate of derailments in this country is not preordained,” he said. “That’s something we know from experience because when good safety rules have been put in place over the years, especially after high-profile incidents, we see derailments come down on mainline tracks.”
Following 7,500 inspections by the Federal Railroad Administration of routes used by trains carrying highly flammable materials, the agency also issued updated policies on tank cars, train lengths, hazardous material spills and worker fatigue.
However, critics argue that requiring at least two people on the crew lacks a safety justification, citing the successful use of single-person crews both in the U.S. and internationally.
“As technology such as [Positive Train Control] systems has improved, and further advances in autonomous systems look promising, freight rail companies would like the flexibility of operating trains with less than two operators, not so they can raise profits, but so they can reduce prices to better compete with the trucking sector,” said Robert D. Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
The Association of American Railroads points out that crew sizes have decreased from five to two, thanks to technological advancements, arguing that fixed crew size mandates could limit necessary flexibility in staffing and scheduling.
