Pyke: Should two operators be required on crude oil trains?

Suburbanites who fear a train carrying crude oil could derail in their neighborhood aren't alone.

Conductors and engineers from across the U.S. spent a day here recently talking about the risks posed by oil trains and how to reduce them.

There are a lot of high-tech ways to avoid a disaster - automatic braking systems and puncture-proof tank cars, for example.

But one prevention method railroaders favored was decidedly low-tech: staffing trains with two crew members. It's a practice they warned is endangered if railroads shift to single-crew trains to save money.

"If you've got a 10,000-ton train going 50 or 60 mph, it's best controlled by two, not one (crew members)," locomotive engineer Ron Kaminkow said at a railroad safety conference Sept. 19.

The Association of American Railroads contends the controversy is manufactured and safety is its first priority.

But at least one suburban mayor sides with the two-person rule of thumb. Two can definitely respond faster than one if a two-mile-long disabled train is blocking a crossing, said Barrington Mayor Karen Darch, a rail safety advocate.

"Say the engineer's at the front of train that's 10,000 feet long and something happens," she said.

The Federal Railroad Administration is quietly pushing a rule that would require two crew members per crude oil train and set minimum standards for other freight trains.

"We believe safety is enhanced with a second crew member, especially on critical routes," FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg said this summer. "There is no question in my mind that a second crew member has been critical to containing accidents and keeping people safe at accident sites."

The proposed rule went to the Office of Management and Budget in January where, after some sausage-making, it will be made public and everyone can weigh in.

Railroad operators, however, are rolling their eyes.

"All major Class 1 freight railroads operate with two-person crews on mainline train operations," railroads association spokesman Ed Greenberg said, adding crew size is established in collective bargaining agreements.

"The FRA is seeking to mandate two-person crews despite a lack of data to support such a regulation. Our position is there is no necessity to mandate crew size," Greenberg said.

The FRA counters that mandating two-person crews is part of a broad strategy to ensure crude oil is transported as safely as possible.

The agency is focusing on oil trains after a number of catastrophes, including the Lac-Mégantic explosion in Canada that decimated a town in 2013.

Closer to home, an ethanol train derailed in Galena this March, causing a massive fireball.

Railroad workers warn that a downsizing trend starting in the 1980s is gaining momentum, particularly given the pending institution of an automatic braking system.

"On a routine run on a summer day, you might be able to run a train (solo) across the country, across a subdivision without any problem," Kaminkow said at the conference sponsored by the Railroad Workers United group.

"You throw in bad weather, extreme weather, extreme heat, a broken air hose, signal system failures ... there's no end of scenarios. Things start to unravel very, very quickly."

Stay tuned for updates on the crew size ruling. Got an opinion? Drop me an email at mpyke@dailyherald.com.

Your voice

Craig Ibbotson of Crystal Lake is fired up about the new Ventra app that will offer a virtual Metra ticket.

"I'm definitely looking forward to being able to purchase Metra tickets using the Ventra app," he wrote.

"I've become a fan of Ventra on the CTA; having an integrated app for Metra is ideal. Now I just have to make sure my iPhone is always charged up."

You should know

Metra increased the salary of Executive Director Don Orseno from $262,500 to $289,500 Sept. 21 and gave him an additional week of vacation.

Officials said Orseno has turned the agency around after a political scandal and thanked him for assuming leadership at a chaotic time.

One more thing

Tollway directors Thursday agreed to reduce fines for violations on the rebuilt Elgin-O'Hare Expressway (Route 390) once tolls begin in 2016.

Six overhead gantries will collect tolls on the 10.5-mile all-electronic road. That means violations could mount quickly for someone without an I-PASS.

Violation notices are triggered after three missed tolls in two years. The tollway intends to halve fees to $10 for the first notice and $25 as follow-up penalties on Route 390 only.

The policy change needs state approval.

Gridlock alert

• Sorry Elgin. Route 31 will close today for railroad crossing repairs south of Chicago Street until Saturday.

• West Chicago: Watch out for daytime closures starting today on Route 59 between Dayton Avenue and Browning Way for road improvements.