The final rule issued by the Department of Transportation on Tuesday states: Freight trains require at least two crew members..
By doing so, A long-standing request to the railway labor unionthey argue that having a second person prevents workers from overexerting themselves.
“Common sense dictates that large freight trains (some over 3 miles long) should have at least two crew members on board, and currently ensure safe staffing of trains. There are federal regulations in place to do this,” the Secretary of Transportation said. pete buttigieg said in a statement.
Rail safety has come under intense scrutiny in Washington after a train carried chemicals containing toxic vinyl chloride. There was a derailment in Ohio last year..
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) became a co-sponsor of a rail safety bill with Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) in the wake of the accident. East Palestine conflictpraised the rule Tuesday morning but will continue to push his bill at the same time.
“Big railroad lobbyists will do everything they can to reverse this. It will take a bipartisan effort to make these changes permanent and require railroads to do more to prevent derailments. We must pass a rail safety bill,” Brown said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
For more information, visit TheHill.com.
