Trains
need two-person crews to help prevent disasters like the 2013
derailment and explosion of a crude oil train that killed 47 people in
Quebec, some Nebraska lawmakers argued Thursday.
The
Federal Railroad Administration has signaled plans to require two-man
crews on trains carrying oil and freight trains, which is the industry's
standard practice, but its proposed rule hasn't been issued.
Rail
lines would like to switch to a crew of one on most freight engines as
they equip trains with positive train control, a new federally mandated
wireless safety system that can force a train to stop automatically to
avoid a potential crash.
"This is a risky development for
public safety in Nebraska, particularly in light of the hazardous types
of freight that are being hauled through our state," said Sen. Al Davis
of Hyannis on Thursday.
Nebraska is home to the nation's
two biggest railroads, Union Pacific, based in Omaha, and BNSF Railway,
which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway in Omaha.
UP operates the world's
largest railroad classification yard, the Bailey Yard in North Platte,
and BNSF has extensive operations in Lincoln and the rest of Nebraska.
Davis
sponsored a measure (LB192) this year that would have outright required
two-person crews in Nebraska, but it failed to advance from the
Legislature's Transportation and Telecommunications Committee.
Instead,
lawmakers passed a nonbinding resolution Thursday that doesn't
specifically call for two-person crews, but it urges the Federal
Railroad Administration to adopt a rule that "ensures public safety and
promotes the efficient movement of freight, while supporting interstate
commerce."
The resolution (LR338) was adopted on a 36-4 vote.
"These
trains are some of the heaviest moving things on this planet, and just
having one person in charge doesn't seem to make sense," said Sen. Ken
Haar of Malcolm, who cosigned the resolution.
But Sen.
Tyson Larson of O'Neill argued human mistakes are often to blame when
tragedy strikes. "Sometimes true safety does lie within automation,"
he said.
Union Pacific opposes the resolution because it
falsely implies trains are unsafe and ignores collective bargaining
deals that have addressed safe train crew sizes for decades, said
spokesman Mark Davis.
Two rail unions — the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the International Association
of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, which represent
about 3,700 active members between them — support the resolution.
Cutting
down on the number of crew members would almost certainly affect jobs
and reduce the number of workers paying into shared retirement plans.
The
more critical issue is what happens when a train derails or breaks
down, said Pat Pfeifer, state legislative board chairman for the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
One
crew member has to remain inside the engine at all times, so without a
second person, there's no one available on scene to help cut a crossing
or take other emergency precautions.
Both unions are also backing a bill in Congress to require two-person crews.
"It's about public safety; it's not about jobs," Pfeifer said.