Abigail Shimniok

The Federal Rail Administration recently finalized a rule that requires freight trains to have a minimum of a two-person crew. The rule intends to improve safety and stop railroads’ potential plans to reduce crews to one, even though train length is increasing.
Developments in locomotive technology have already cut some railroad jobs, such as the fireman, who was responsible for fueling the train with coal. After the deregulation of freight rails in the 1980s, railroads were able to reduce crews from four to two. The new FRA rule is the first time that crew-size requirements have been mandated by regulation.
Crew sizes have been called into question for the past year after a train hauling hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, OH. Several of the 38 railcars burned for more than two days, which released hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the air. Residents within a mile of the accident were evacuated and an emergency response was initiated from agencies in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia.
Unionized rail workers have stated that regulation of crew sizes has been long overdue. “For perspective, if you put the Empire State Building on its side then added 11 more Empire State buildings, that’s how big some of these trains would be, and they want to operate that with one person,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg continued. “It defies common sense, and that changes today.”
However, not everyone thinks that this regulation will improve railroad safety. The Association of American Railroads, an industry trade group representing major freight railroads, stated, “The Federal Railroad Administration is doubling down on an unfounded and unnecessary regulation that has no proven connection to rail safety.”
The FRA acknowledged back in 2016 that it could not “provide reliable or conclusive statistical data to suggest whether one-person crew operations are generally safer or less safe than multiple-person crew operations.”
Although there has been a slight increase in train accidents in recent years, there is not enough evidence to support that the regulation of two-person crews will improve rail safety.