Coalition opposes Trump plan to pass deceptively-named Railway Safety Act 

Today, a coalition of free market and conservative groups sent a letter to key Senate committee leaders opposing the Trump administration’s proposal to include the Railway Safety Act in the must-pass surface transportation reauthorization bill.

The act would forbid freight trains from operating without a two-person crew consisting of a conductor and an engineer. “The act is unnecessary and will instead serve as a drag on the railway industry’s efforts to modernize its operations,” the letter states.

The letter lays out several main arguments against the rail mandate, including:

• The rail industry should be free to remain at the cutting edge of transportation automation.
• A minimum crew size requirement would confer no additional safety advantage.
• The mandate would increase shipping costs, an input cost for just about every household good.
• The legislation would lock current operating practices into law and prescribe specific technologies, such as wayside bearing detectors, hindering the industry’s ability to adopt innovative technologies and safety solutions.

The letter also points to the 2023 East Palestine derailment. The train had a three-person crew at the time of the crash, and the National Transportation Safety Board’s subsequent report did not cite crew size as a factor or recommend a minimum crew size mandate.