train crew size

The Federal Railroad Administration has lowered the gates on railroads looking to move to one-person crews.

The Federal Railroad Administration submitted its proposed rulemaking on train crew staffing to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for review.

New York becomes the 11th state to require freight trains to have at least two crew members.

Add Kansas to the list of states that require more than one person in the locomotive cab of a freight train.

Union Pacific will expand the utility role in Nebraska and Colorado and make it more responsive to train movements.

The Association of American Railroads is suing the state of Ohio over its new law on freight train crew sizes.

Unions representing locomotive engineers and train conductors are still working through some sticking points with railroads regarding work schedules, sources told FreightWaves.

A Nevada bill restricting train lengths has been introduced, while Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill that mandates freight train crew sizes of at least two people.

Union Pacific will hold off on plans to redeploy the train conductor from the locomotive cab to grounds-based work, according to a tentative agreement between UP and SMART-TD.

Norfolk Southern and SMART-TD are tabling discussions about how to handle conductor redeployments as congressional lawmakers want more information about what rail safety initiatives should become law.

The New Mexico House of Representatives has passed a bill to require a freight train crew size of at least two members. The bill now goes to the state Senate.

The Environmental Protection Agency has given Norfolk Southern a new order as the Ohio derailment cleanup transitions to longer-term remediation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation has given the railroads a list of what safety actions they should undertake.

Union Pacific’s proposed testing of one-person crews is on hold because the program can’t proceed without negotiations between the railroad and affected union members.

The U.S. Small Business Administration wants the Federal Railroad Administration to revise its analysis for the proposed train crew size rule, contending it “significantly understated” costs and the number of potentially affected businesses.

An active Surface Transportation Board and ongoing issues to fully restore rail network capacity are among the issues that industry stakeholders are eyeing in the new year.

The Federal Railroad Administration heard starkly different opinions from some railroads and unions about whether the agency should mandate freight train crews of at least two people.

In proposing a minimum train crew size of two members, FRA reverses its stance that crew size questions should be left to the railroads and the unions.

Two bills, one before the New York State Senate and another before the New York State Assembly, would require Class I and Class II railroads to have a minimum train crew size.

Two bills in the Michigan Legislature are calling for freight train crews to consist of at least two people.

FRA Deputy Administrator Amit Bose testifies on crew size and LNG by rail at his nomination hearing.

SMART-TD must negotiate with Class I railroads on train crew size; Rail Customer Coalition calls on STB to take up reciprocal switching; ASLRRA praises progress on infrastructure bill; and Canadian Pacific urges KCS shareholders to vote against the proposed CN-KCS merger.

A U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Tuesday vacated the Federal Railroad Administration’s May 2019 order on train crew size, saying the agency didn’t conduct an adequate public review prior to the order.

The proposed rule seeks to require trains operating in Kansas to have at least two crew members in the front locomotive.

Labor groups praise bill’s contents but key freight rail group is “disappointed.”

The state’s governor Jay Inslee signed into law a bill that says a freight train crew must have at least two crew members.

The court ruled in favor of the Class I railroads and said SMART-TD must discuss crew size during ongoing collective bargaining negotiations.

Lawmakers in Missouri, New York, Virginia and Wyoming introduce legislation to require freight trains to have a minimum crew size.

Train crew size, healthcare are among the key issues, on top of grappling with systemic changes to the industry

The railroads say the union refuses to negotiate on train crew size as both sides prepare for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Groups say existing federal laws trump Illinois’ mandate on train crew size.

The states of Illinois, Nevada and Washington are seeking to push ahead with state laws requiring a train crew size of at least two individuals, despite a federal declaration saying that such laws have been voided.

Some members of Congress remain determined to address the question of whether having more crew members on a train makes that train safer.

The implementation of precision scheduled railroading has contributed to dwindling morale and could result in creating unsafe working conditions should the federal government withhold intervention, according to union witnesses at a June 20th Congressional hearing on rail safety.

The Federal Railroad Administration is withdrawing its notice of proposed rulemaking for train crew staffing. Regulating train crew staffing is not necessary or appropriate for rail operations to be conducted safely, the agency said.

Nevada joins Colorado in requiring freight trains to have at least two crew members on board. Meanwhile, preliminary data from the Surface Transportation Board shows April rail headcount level to be the lowest so far in 2019 and since January 2017.