CLEVELAND, March 12 — The city of Toledo, Ohio, joined 49 other communities when it passed a resolution questioning the safety of remote control train operations on March 9.
The resolution calls for an end to the use of remote controlled locomotives in the city until the Federal Railroad Administration conducts a safety review.
Jim Ong, Chairman of the BLET’s Ohio State Legislative Board, thanked several BLET members for their work on the resolution, including: Tim Hanely, Vice Chairman of the OSLB; Rodney Cutlip, BLET Division 385 (Toledo) Local Chairman; Tom Galloway, BLET Division 4 (Toledo) Legislative Representative; Don Rozick, BLET Division 385 Legislative Representative; and Bill Barber, Local Chairman and Legislative Representative of BLE Division 937 (Toledo). Chairman Ong also thanked Toledo Mayor Jack Ford; City Councilman Robert McCloskey; and Mayoral Chief of Staff Jay Black. He also noted the efforts of Roberta Stout, a resident of Toledo who worked tirelessly on this issue.
The resolution also calls for the following:
1. The railroads notify the office of Mayor before implementing operation of remote control locomotives;
2. Remote control locomotives cannot be used to transport hazardous materials, switch cars containing hazardous materials, or switch other cars on or near tracks occupied by hazardous materials;
3. Remote control locomotives cannot be operated over a public or private highway rail crossing without a person occupying the cab of the locomotive who has the required skills to stop the locomotive and its attached equipment; and
4. A railroad must provide effective and reliable protection at the point of movement in any location accessible to the general public for any remote control operation.
In addition to Toledo, 35 U.S. cities have adopted similar resolutions: Baton Rouge, La.; Detroit, Mich.; Shreveport, La.; Marysville, Mich.; Boston, Mass.; Cleveland, Ohio; Pine Bluff, Ark.; North Little Rock, Ark.; Beardstown, Ill.; Bakersfield, Calif.; Woodbridge, N.J.; Maple Heights, Ohio; Alliance, Neb.; Evansville, Ind.; Dupo, Ill.; Durand, Mich; Flat Rock, Mich.; Woodhaven, Mich; Flint, Mich.; Sparks, Nev.; Commerce, Calif.; Clinton, Iowa; Montebello, Calif.; Saginaw, Mich.; Mankato, Minn.; Wamac, Ill.; St. Louis, Mo.; River Rouge, Mich.; Melvindale, Mich.; Redford Township, Mich.; Irvington, Ill.; Berwyn, Ill.; Allen Park, Mich.; Central City, Ill.; and Carteret, N.J.
Also, 14 counties have passed similar remote control resolutions. They are: Douglas County, Wisc.; West Baton Rouge Parish, La.; Point Coupee Parish, La.; Cuyahoga County, Ohio; Huron County, Ohio; Erie County, Ohio; Whitley County, Ky.; Unicoi County, Tenn.; Contra Costa County, Calif.; Knox County, Tenn.; Clinton, County, Iowa; Harris County, Texas; Roanoke County, Va.; and Greenup County, Ky.
A PDF of the Toledo resolution is available at:
http://www.ble.org/pr/pdf/toledo.pdf