In a victory for Rail Workers’ safety, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) have announced a final rule establishing a minimum requirement of two-person Crews for most Class I freight and passenger railroad operations.  Workers have been sounding the alarm for years on the necessity of Federal regulation to improve working conditions both on the tracks and in rail yards.  This move from the Biden Administration is in sharp contrast to the Administration of former President Donald Trump, who in 2019 withdrew a proposed regulation on Crew staffing, saying that no additional safety regulations were “necessary or appropriate for railroad operations.”  “This rule acknowledges that crew size is fundamentally a safety issue at its core.  Rail Workers experience the risks of the job daily and have made it clear that two-person Crews are inherently necessary to ensure the safe operation of our rail systems,” said Greg Regan, who serves as President of the Transportation Trades Department. “We thank President Biden for ensuring that his Administration delivered this essential rail safety rule.”  “This final rule is essential for safety and is long overdue,” added Transport Workers Union International President John Samuelsen. “The TWU looks forward to the swift implementation of a two-person Crew requirement.”

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