This month, the Federal Railroad Administration granted a series of waivers to permit the trial run of a “novel, self-propelled, zero-emission, battery-electric rail vehicle” where no workers would be onboard. FRA is allowing a tech company, Parallel Systems, to test its “robotrain” at the Georgia Central Railway and the Heart of Georgia Railroad, near the Port of Savannah.
In regulatory hearings and through the media, the BLET has pushed back, stressing that there are too many “what-ifs” regarding safety and reliability when it comes to unproven autonomous train technology. BLET sees this as another instance where the railroad industry is placing profits ahead of the lives and safety of workers and the general public.
Last week, prior to the announcement of the waivers from standard safety practices needed for autonomous train operations, Bloomberg, in a lengthy article about unions pushing back against unsafe automation, quoted BLET First Vice President Mark Wallace. Automating train operations poses cybersecurity and safety concerns that could lead to accidents as destructive as Norfolk Southern’s 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Wallace told the news service. Additionally, autonomous technology failures at Class I railroads could lead to disruptions that would freeze the movement of essential energy sources and manufacturing supplies.
“Legislators have to understand what AI means to certain industries, and they have to put safeguards in to protect the public. It’s just not about protecting our jobs,” Wallace told Bloomberg.
Workplace issues related to the use of Parallel Systems’ technology was a key reason why Georgia Central engineers and trainmen voted overwhelmingly to unionize for the first time and join the BLET in October 2024.
Along with BLET, nationally and across industries, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) has been a leader in raising questions about the use of artificial intelligence and automation in transportation. The IBT sees proposals to fly planes without pilots; long-haul trucks operated without drivers; and “robotaxis” without people at the wheel circulating in urban environments as a danger to the public.