“Enough is enough. A full-scale review of the use and practices around remote-control locomotives is long overdue. CSX — and every railroad — must evaluate their use of these supposed technological advancements to ensure they are actually making our members safer, and not merely replacing people to continue lining the pockets of Wall Street,” Transportation Communications Union National President Artie Maratea said in the news release.
CSX officials at the railroad’s headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida, didn’t immediately answer questions Monday about Anderson’s death. The Federal Railroad Administration has approved the use of remote-controlled locomotives since 2005. They are primarily used inside railyards to help assemble trains. Regulators issued guidelines for railroads back then calling for precautions, including ensuring the trains don’t operate at speeds above 15 mph, but there aren’t detailed regulations on exactly how they can be used.
Typically, a railroad worker stationed on the ground near a train controls its movements with a remote, although sometimes that worker rides aboard the train while it is moving.