Technology helps keep safe rail staffing
A recent letter in the Daily Herald on freight rail safety and staffing decisions woefully misses the mark.
Most freight railroads today operate with an engineer and conductor in the locomotive cab.
These railroads might someday transition to one person in the cab, leveraging technology that performs the conductor's in-cab responsibilities.
The railroad industry now utilizes positive train control (PTC), which automates the conductor's in-cab responsibilities, including providing backup for an engineer.
For example, PTC brings a train to a stop if the engineer passes through a red signal. PTC takes over the conductor's in-cab functions - without the mistakes humans sometimes make.
Operating trains with one person in the cab is nothing new.
Many passenger systems, and some smaller freight railroads, already operate with just an engineer in the cab.
Any transition by the large freight railroads to one person in the cab will be collectively bargained.
From a regulatory perspective, the Obama administration said in 2016 there is no data to support a locomotive staffing requirement. The National Safety Transportation Board concurred.
Since 2000, train accident rates are down 33 percent. The railroads are committed to making their systems even safer.
Transitioning to one-person in the cab using technologies such as PTC is consistent with the industry's safety goals.
Chicago is central to railroad operations and operating safely and efficiently in the region is of utmost importance to the industry.
The letter is off the mark in stating otherwise.
Michael J. Rush, Senior Vice President for Safety and Operations
Association of American Railroads
Washington, D.C.