“Common sense dictates that large freight trains (some over 3 miles long) should have at least two crew members on board, and currently ensure safe staffing of trains. There are federal rules in place to do this,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. said in a statement. “This rule mandating safe numbers for train crews is long overdue, and we are proud to deliver this change that will make our workers, passengers, and communities safer.”
The Biden administration has proposed a rule requiring two crew members for the first time in 2022, a move the nation's largest railroads, known as Class 1 operators, have put forward to put workers at risk in order to cut costs in tough economic times. This was to ensure that it would not be reduced to such a low level. Rail industry employees flooded the Department of Transportation with supportive comments, highlighting the need for extra support, especially in times of emergency.
There were more than 289 derailments and other accidents on major freight lines nationwide between January 1 and November 30 of last year, according to a Washington Post review of federal transportation data in February. Despite that record, freight railroads still vigorously resisted new federal regulations. Their opposition at the Federal Railroad Administration mirrored lobbying in Congresses across the country, which argued there was no evidence that adding more staff would make railroads safer.
“FRA is reinforcing baseless and unnecessary regulations with no proven link to rail safety,” Ian Jeffries, president of the American Railroad Association, said in a statement Tuesday. “Instead of prioritizing data-backed solutions to build a safer future for railroads, FRA is looking to the past and attempting to upend the collective bargaining process.”
