BEAUMONT, Texas — The operation of the nation’s railways has certainly changed since the first steam railroad was built in 1845. But when it comes to remote control operation of locomotives, not everyone is thrilled to see the latest technology make its way to the yard., the Beaumont Examiner reports.
Select Kansas City Southern rail yards — Beaumont, Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and Kansas City–recently began testing the somewhat controversial technology that company officials say will increase safety and productivity.
“Locomotive remote control allows railroad personnel on the ground to operate locomotives through the use of a transmitter that sends signals to a microprocessor on board the locomotive,” said Steve Dupont, in a KCS press release. Calls to the local KCS yard were referred to the company’s headquarters in Kansas City. Calls seeking comments from the corporate communications department went unanswered as of press time.
KCS, which plans to implement remote control in all of its terminals by Sept. 2002, believes remote control can eliminate communication failures and visibility problems that can occur in conventional switching with an engineer in the cab, and point to statistics from Canada that suggest lower rates of yard accidents.
“The technology is being tested at this time. It is not being used on main lines anywhere, only in switching yards,” said Tom White of the Association of American Railroads. “This could very well be an important safety advance.”
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, who organized an informational picket at the intersection of Washington and MLK in Beaumont over the weekend, disagree.
Terry Briggs, BLE chairman and spokesman, said that while the union is concerned about the technology eventually taking over their jobs, their primary concern now is public safety.
“To date the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) has not issued any regulations to oversee the railroad’s implementation of remote control … only voluntary guidelines,” he said.
Remote controlled locomotives have been in use in America for a number of years, according to the FRA, although the technology has been largely confined to in-plant rail operations. Due to limited data, the FRA issued a Notice of Safety Advisory on Feb. 14, 2001, urging railroad companies to proceed cautiously with remote control technology.
“FRA does recognize that these operations have existed in Canada for several years and appear to have a credible safety record. However, it is clear that the potential for serious injury exists, as it does in all aspects of railroad operations,” the FRA advisory states.
Briggs said the union supports testing to determine whether remote control technology is safe and reliable, but only on small pilot projects.
“That would take place at one or two particular jobs in a yard where it would be a very controlled environment, where no one else could get into the area. What is taking place in Beaumont and other areas of the country is larger implementation of the technology like it’s proven already,” he said. “It is irresponsible for KCS to remove locomotive engineers, who have had many years of training and experience, and replace them with a less qualified person, standing on the ground.”
Briggs said he is particularly concerned about unmanned trains in areas where hazardous materials are transported.
“There is a high potential for an accident to happen. Nearly everything that moves through the Beaumont area involves a petrochemical or hazardous substance,” he said. “An unmanned locomotive is an open invitation to trespassers, possible vandals and even terrorists. While the rest of the transportation industry is searching for ways to improve security and prevent terrorist attacks, the nations railroads are taking federally certified and highly qualified locomotive engineers off of trains and running them with remote control. That’s totally irresponsible.”
Several accidents involving remote control trains have been reported, although the technology itself has not been specifically faulted. Most recently, a derailment occurred in Romeoville, Illinois, in May. The remote controlled train was carrying coal to the Midwest Generation Plant when it went over the end of a switching track.
Doug McFarlan, a spokesman for Midwest Generation, said it was possible the remote control malfunctioned, but that it was too soon to say. No one was injured in the crash, and the cause is still under investigation.
Briggs said the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers would continue to fight the use of the technology until better data is available. The union has sponsored several informational pickets around the country and has many more planned in the coming months.
“Those living near these tracks are concerned and they should be,” he said. “Hopefully, our efforts have slowed down the use of this technology in some areas.”