MOBILE, Ala. — Tal Fowler, an eight-year locomotive engineer, says unmanned locomotives slowly rolling along the waterfront present a constant danger to downtown Mobile, the Mobile Register reported.
But CSX Corp. officials said Fowler and other members of a labor union representing train engineers who picketed Monday are blowing the safety issue out of proportion and spreading misinformation.
Locomotives — operated by a nonengineer with two weeks’ training — are being moved around railways at the Alabama State Docks, officials confirmed. The remote-controlled locomotives have been in use here less than two months, but some union engineers believe it’s a matter of time before a major accident occurs.
CSX Corp. is the only rail company that uses this method in Mobile, Fowler said.
About 40 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, or BLE, spent Monday morning handing out informational fliers in front of the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center. Across the nation, BLE members have held public education rallies addressing safety concerns with the new way of moving locomotives in shipyards.
Alabama State Docks Director James Lyons said the union workers are just looking out for their jobs. “They’re trying to use scare tactics. The remote-control devices have been deployed successfully by a number of railroads. What they’re really doing is job protection,” Lyons said.
Gary Sease, CSX spokesmen in Jacksonville, Fla., said the remote-controlled locomotives are safe. He said no serious accidents or injuries have occurred on CSX lines since January, when the company began using the system in some areas.
“We think the safety benefits by far will make remote control one of the great technologies to come to the railroad industry,” he said.
He said the Federal Railroad Administration approved the 80-hour training program for remote control operators, who are “trainmen” or brakemen — not locomotive engineers.
However, to Fowler, the chance for something to go wrong is too great.
“The same chemicals in the Phenol explosion are coming down these tracks,” Fowler said, referring to a recent explosion at the INEOS Phenol Inc. chemical plant.
On Sept. 9, chemicals such as phenol, cumene and acetone exploded at the Theodore Industrial Park. The incident caused nearby residents to panic, said Folwer. If a railway accident involving hazardous chemicals occurred along the waterfront, he said, similar pandemonium would ensue in downtown Mobile.
“What if it happens during BayFest when there are 25,000 people down here?” added Bubba Rice, local chairman of a labor union representing train engineers.
The remote control, which is held by an employee on the ground and communicates with a receiver in the train’s cab, is not being used outside switchyards. CSX has not made plans to use the device on railways, according to reports.
Last week the Baton Rouge City Council passed a resolution banning use of remote-controlled locomotives in its city limits. The Sept. 25 measure, which is not legally binding, came after local BLE members brought safety concerns to the attention of the city leaders.
International BLE spokesman John Bentley supported the council’s decision.
“It sends a strong message that the elected leaders on the local level are taken aback by this remote control thing. It’s not legally binding, but it does send a message,” Bentley said.
The spokesman said national arbitration is under way to decide what rail worker — locomotive engineer, brakeman or conductor — should operate the remote-controlled device.