Eddie Strom, President of BLET Division 28, in his interview with television station KOLD News 13 in Tucson regarding train thefts and extremely long trains.
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An investigative report by CBS Texas broadcast in June examines how the use of longer and longer freight trains robs Texans of their time and puts their safety at risk.
While the report is specific to Texas, it is relevant to other parts of the United States. Extremely long trains all too frequently paralyze communities by blocking crossings and inconveniencing residents. But long trains are more than a nuisance — they put lives at risk. Long trains that block crossings have been known to delay first responders and have forced children to climb through stalled freight cars to make it to school.
Long trains also have been linked to a rise in train theft, an issue that has sparked congressional hearings and media attention, including this television story out of Tucson, Ariz., in early June featuring Eddie Strom, the President of BLET Division 28.
Data from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) shows that in Texas alone, there were more than 7,000 reports of trains blocking crossings in the past year. A 2024 study on train length determined that longer trains have a greater risk of derailment.
In 2023, the BLET petitioned the FRA to issue an Emergency Order establishing a maximum train length. Trains in excess of five miles in length have been reported. Despite these major changes to rail operations and train length, rail carriers have been slow to provide additional training to locomotive engineers on how to properly operate these “monster trains.”
Rail carrier opposition to limits on train length has been strong. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the rail industry’s trade group, has spent millions of dollars lobbying Congress to block legislation related to rail safety and train length.
Click here to watch the CBS Texas report on “monster trains.”