The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration has announced a proposed rule that requires that there be a minimum of two train crew members for over-the-road railroad operations. | Facebook
Comments are being sought for a proposed rule that would require there to be a minimum of two train crew members for over-the-road railroad operations, a recent press release from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration said.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would allow exceptions “for certain low risk operations and circumstances where mitigating measures are in place to protect railroad employees, the public, and the environment,” a the press release said.
“For the past few years, our rail workers have worked hard to keep people and goods moving on our nation’s railroads, despite a global pandemic and supply chain challenges,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the release. “This proposed rule will improve safety for America’s rail passengers—and rail workers—across the country.”
The DOT has proposed a rule that would require a minimum of two train crew members for over-the-road railroad operations.
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The deadline is for comments on the proposed rule is Monday, Sept. 26; the release said. Comments can be submitted through regulations.gov. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is available online in the Federal Register.
Train crew sizes gradually reduced from approximately five in the 1960s to two by the end of the 1990s because of technological breakthroughs, the release said. Today, a locomotive engineer and conductor make up the two-person crew.
“Under the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), a special approval procedure would allow railroads to petition FRA: (1) to continue legacy operations with one-person train crews; and (2) for approval to initiate a new train operation with fewer than two crewmembers,” the release said.
FRA Administrator Amit Bose said the agency is “committed to data-driven decision making.”
“In cases where railroads wish to operate with fewer than two crewmembers, we are proposing that they perform a rigorous, thorough, and transparent risk assessment and hazard analysis, and FRA will provide an opportunity for public comment on these submissions,” Bose said in the release.
