Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen Union Backs Bills to Improve Rail Safety in Maine
PHOTO: Dan Lauzon (BLET), Adam Goode (ME AFL-CIO), Daniel Cadogan (BLET) & Sen. Joe Rafferty (D-York)
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen testified before the Legislature's State and Local Committee on Wednesday in support of two bills sponsored by Sen. Joe Rafferty (D-York) that would significantly improve rail safety in Maine. LD 1015, An Act to Require a Minimum of 2 Persons on a Crew for the Operation of Freight Trains, would require that a freight train be operated by at least two people. LD 1644, An Act to Require Train Axle Bearing Sensors to Be Installed on Passenger Rail Lines, wouldrequire the installation of a hotbox detector every 20 miles on a railroad line that operates in the state on which a passenger train operates.
Locomotive engineer Daniel Cadogan, Chairman of the union's New England Legislative board, said that freight crews used to consist of an engineer, fireman, conductor, and two brakemen, but technological improvements have allowed companies to reduce crew sizes over the past 40 years. He said that while the union has conceded to accepting some of these reductions, reducing the operating crew to just one person poses a safety hazard.
As an example of the safety risks, Cadogan pointed to the 2013 Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster when a 74-car freight train loaded with 2.16 million gallons of crude oil rolled down a 1.2 percent grade reaching speeds upwards of 65 mph before derailing on a 10-mph curve, killing 47 people The catastrophic wreck was seen from space and burned for two days.
"This train was left standing by a lone employee. He was charged with 47 counts of criminal negligence, but ultimately found not guilty," he said. "This accident was a mere 12 years ago, 23 miles north of the Maine Border. The ripple effect of this completely avoidable event is immeasurable."
Cadogan noted that a similar two-person crew standard exists in the commercial airline industry and thirteen states have the standard for freight rail. Testifying in support of LD 1644, Cardogan said hotbox detectors are a system of sensors mounted in and around the train track structure that can help prevent accidents by detecting anomalies in weight, sound, vibration, and temperature.
"We would like to see these detectors installed on all lines eventually but lines that carry passenger trains are our main objective right now," he said.