This letter is for your consideration to publicize reasons to support state legistation requiring two persons on all trains moving in Minnesota now!

 

I am a retired 43-year railroad conductor who operated trains and switched railroad yards and industries for a living in this area.

 

Railroads provide essential transporation to keep our economy moving. We are running more trains to do this. We do it well and we move our trains safely.

 

This past summer, a major railroad  in Minnesota proposed operating freight trains with only one person. From my knowledge and experience, this proposal is incredibly unsafe and irresponsible. While the railroads may think they can operate this way, they can’t. And what’s worse, one-person train crews are a direct threat to public safety and security. 

 

Trains are not magic carpets made of steel. We operate mass tonnage machines that are often well over one mile long over the country sides, through the towns and cities of this state, around the clock in all types of weather. Behind the locomotives, there are thousands of moving parts and we do break down or go into emergency stop for numerous reasons. With the current two persons on all trains, it is possible for the train crew to make repairs and get the train moving again safely.

 

Every train needs two persons. We need two persons because when our train blocks road crossings and ties up traffic, it takes two persons to seperate the train and open the crossing. When we hit vehicles at crossing accidents we must have two people as we do now; so one crew member can immediately help the injured until the emergency responders arrive. And after emergency response arrives, they need us so they know the train is safe to climb under and we usually lead them to the victims in the ditch.

 

One person can direct communications to first responders and railroad authorities while the other can locate, attend victims, assess the on site situation, and assist first responders after they arrive. There is so much else that goes with a train to protect public safety. With two persons, we constantly inspect passing trains for car mechanicals and the track, Reporting brush fire ignition from our train, leaking HAZMAT, crew resource management along the railroad, and assuring trains and standing cars are secure and will not roll away and derail like Lac Megantic’ Quebec, 2013, we need two person on each train.

 

Two other states, Wisconsin and Arizona have two person or minimum train crew laws. Other states are moving this legislation now across the country. Two person train crew laws are not federally preempted, pose no undue burden on the railroads or commerce, and safety issues are not governed under any collective bargaining areas in this industry. 

 

A recent published poll by the DFM Group, St. Paul,  and nationally recognized polling firm found that from a broad cross section of our state, Minnesotans believe two persons should be on all trains by an 83-12% margin.

 

Forunately, the Minnesota House and Senate Transportation Committee has legislation before final passage that will require “two individuals” on all Class One and Two freight trains moving in Minnesota. The “two person train crew” legislation has passed in the Senate but did not even receive a hearing in the House.

 

The H.R. 4 Transportation Conference Committee, Republican controlled House, and Governor Dayton must pass and sign this common sense safety legislation into law. 

 

The Legislation and Governor must allow one person trains to operate through our towns and cities. After crossing collisions with the public, we can not allow injured and dying Minnesotans to lie in the ditches of Minnesota unattended. 

 

The legislature must recognize that railroad safety means no accident. We need two persons on all trains to assure safety and security.