Locomotive engineers and conductors must speak English, be familiar with the tracks on the route(s) they will travel, and know how to operate the train, not just supervise automated controls, under a proposed rule issued Friday by the Federal Railroad Administration.

The SMART Transportation Division union said that they have advocated for the reforms for years.

“Taken together, these reforms reinforce a simple principle,” SMART-TD National Safety and Legislative Director Jared Cassity said. “A railroad certification should mean that a railroad performs its due diligence to ensure that train crews possess the knowledge, communication skills, and hands-on ability necessary to safely operate a train. Not just one trip and a pat on the back, like is happening today.”

The rule would strengthen the way railroaders are trained, tested, and qualified, reinforce territorial standards, and ensure that engineers demonstrate their operating skills, not just rely on automated train-handling systems, spokesman Dan Banks said.

One of the most significant provisions would prohibit railroads from using Energy Management Systems (EMS) — technologies that act as autopilot systems do in aviation — during skills examinations. SMART-TD has long argued that the EMS fuel-saving systems are valuable tools but should never substitute for demonstrating manual skills required to operate a train safely.

The rule would also clarify that qualification must be earned in the specific direction of travel. Engineers and conductors must demonstrate familiarity with the territory as it is actually encountered on the job, recognizing that signals, landmarks and physical characteristics differ depending on the direction the train is moving.

And, the rule would require English language proficiency for certified engineers and conductors operating in the U.S. The would require U.S. training and certification standards for Mexican-based crews. Banks said it also proposes additional operational safeguards at the southern border, including a 10-mile operational limitation.

Now that the rule is proposed, a comment period will be held, plus evaluations (such as environmental or economic) and a possible interim rule, before a final rule is issued.  

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