Latest news with #freighttrains
Forbes
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Reject The Rail Crew Mandate And Embrace Deregulation
Union Pacific cargo train. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) Getty Images The Trump Administration went to court this month to address a controversial Biden-era rule mandating a minimum of two crew members on most freight trains. The regulation, issued by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) under President Biden, is a textbook example of how Big Labor and political interference have corrupted what should be a data-driven safety agency. President Trump is proudly leading one of the most successful deregulatory efforts in modern history. Rejecting this rail-crew rule would reaffirm that legacy by cutting red tape, advancing innovation and protecting an industry vital to America's economic strength. While the litigation continues, that opportunity still exists. Let's be clear: The Biden crew size rule has nothing to do with safety. The Biden administration cited the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio derailment as justification, even though that train already had three crew members onboard—more than the proposed minimum. The FRA itself admitted it couldn't quantify any safety benefit from the rule. Decades of evidence, including a decline in rail accidents since deregulation in 1980, show that technology and investment—not crew mandates—have driven safety gains. But the rule does serve one purpose: appeasing such labor unions as the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Railroad & Transportation Workers—Transportation Division (SMART-TD), which endorsed Kamala Harris and funneled 99% of its political spending to Democrats and progressive causes. That's not a coincidence. Between 2019 and 2022, SMART directed nearly $80 million toward political advocacy, consulting and special interest groups. Among the top recipients were the California Democratic Party, the BlueGreen Alliance and a slew of far-left environmental and social organizations. Less than 1% of SMART's political funding went to GOP or bipartisan efforts. This is the group now dictating rail policy under the guise of "safety." It's joined by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen's (BLET) union, a Teamsters outfit that backed Kamala Harris for president. By rejecting this mandate at the agency level, the Trump Administration can deliver a win for rank-and-file rail workers and the broader American economy, while standing up to Big Labor bosses who push political agendas at the expense of jobs, innovation and real safety progress. Former FRA economist Patrick McLaughlin recently warned in a filing at the Department of Transportation (DOT) that excessive rail regulation—such as this rule—chills innovation, imposes steep costs on shippers and harms low-income communities by raising prices. His research, echoed in dozens of formal comments to the DOT, argues that the regulation creates perverse safety outcomes by undermining the financial health of railroads and discouraging the adoption of technologies that reduce risk and increase efficiency. It's not just McLaughlin; a broad coalition of experts and organizations urged DOT to eliminate this crew-size rule last month. Their message is consistent: Performance-based regulation works; top-down, politically motivated mandates do not. In fact, insisting on outdated staffing models only pushes more freight to trucks—an outcome that increases congestion, pollution and traffic fatalities. This destructive, union-backed rule undermines voluntary labor-management agreements that already govern crew sizes in a more flexible and effective manner. The Center for Transportation Advancement points out that rigid staffing mandates override productive negotiations and mimic the failed "full crew" laws of the early 1900s—laws long since repealed because they served union interests, not public safety. President Trump has always stood with American workers, job creators and the industries that keep our economy moving. By rejecting this heavy-handed mandate, he can once again lead the charge for innovation and real safety, while standing up to entrenched union bosses who put politics over progress and their interests over those of the rank-and-file workers. This rule isn't about protecting workers; it's about protecting a political machine that spends millions of dollars fighting against the very prosperity rail jobs help deliver. President Trump was right to stop it once. Now he has the chance to finish the job by restoring fairness to federal rail policy and keeping government focused on results, not special interests. It's time to modernize, cut red tape and let railroads compete, helping make America great again.
CBS News
16-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Longer freight trains are more than just a nuisance. They're increasingly costing Texans their time and safety
Five years ago, the average Union Pacific freight train was 8,000-feet long. Today, it's more than 9,000 — with many extending as long as 15,000-feet. Nicknamed 'monster trains,' these freight haulers can carry in a single trip what would take two or three shorter trains to move—saving railroad companies millions of dollars. Union Pacific told the CBS News Texas I-Team the addition of rail cars to an already scheduled train is both safe and good for the environment. But longer trains also mean longer waits at crossings. And when a monster train stops, it often becomes more than an inconvenience. Monster trains in texas The CBS News Texas I-Team found nowhere is the problem bigger than in Texas. Data from the Federal Railroad Administration shows more than 7,000 reports of trains blocking crossings across Texas in the past year — that's more than three times as many as any other state. Many of the most problematic crossings are in Tarrant and Denton Counties. When Fort Worth firefighters get a call from an address near train tracks, dispatch sends two trucks — one from each direction. If the route includes the train crossing on Avondale-Haslet Road in the far northwest corner of the city, the most frequently reported blocked crossing in North Texas, trucks roll from both the Fort Worth and Haslet fire stations. "That way we know that we're coming from two different directions," said Fort Worth Fire Department spokesperson Craig Trojacek. "So, a stopped train is not going to stop our response time." The Federal Railroad Administration said it's focused on the safety of all train lengths, but that there is "no empirical evidence that clearly implicates train length in a reduction of safety." A 2024 study of the relationship between train length and derailment risk determined longer trains do have a greater risk of derailment. Trapped in Jeff Kennedy, resident of the Vista Ranch neighborhood in north Fort Worth, calls his subdivision a lollipop neighborhood: "Only one way in and out." To get out of Vista Ranch, residents have to cross the tracks on Tinsley Lane. If a train blocks the crossing, there's no other way in or out. In May, the I-Team witnessed the problem up close when a train lost power and blocked the crossing for more than four hours. "It's a danger, unnecessarily," said Kennedy. Tarrant County construction crews began work last month on a new road that will give neighbors in Vista Ranch another way out without having to cross the train tracks. "That will be good, but it's going to take a while," said Kennedy. "Four to six months. Hopefully, in the meantime, we won't have another train stoppage." Bad for business Chad Beavers, owner of Cold Springs Processing, knows firsthand that blocked train crossings can be more than just a minor inconvenience — they can be bad for business. The grease disposal facility just north of downtown Fort Worth sits between two sets of train tracks, and at times trains block both at once. In fact, Beavers said it happens anywhere from three to eight times a day. "My main goal with our customers is we get you in and we get you out," said Beavers. "And when that doesn't happen, that hurts our bottom line." The I-Team witnessed workers from the factory across the street walking between train cars so they wouldn't be late for work. It's illegal to cut through a train, but workers said it happens all the time. "It's dangerous, but you need a job," said Carson Brown, a forklift operator. "You don't want to lose a job because of a train." Costly Solutions Texas lawmakers filed a House bill during the most recent legislative session to cap the length of a train at 8,500 feet. The bill was never voted on by lawmakers. But even if it had passed, the state can't enforce it. Train length is regulated by the federal government, and there are no federal limits. Building roads around, or bridges over, train tracks is a costly solution. In January, the federal government gave Texas $80 million in rail safety grants. That covered just six projects. This year, Texas also set aside an additional $250 million in a grant program to fund railroad grade separation projects. Despite the investments, with 9,000 train crossing statewide, the funding will not address all the problematic crossings.
