Rail worker’s death in Ohio railyard highlights union questions about remote control trains

Associated Press

The CSX worker who discovered his friend run over by a pair of remote-control locomotives last year sees two-person crews as a simple solution to preventing similar deaths. The worker’s testimony is a part of an update released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board into the September 2023 death of Fred Anderson. The idea of two-person crews isn’t expected to be popular with the railroads. They’ve come to rely heavily on having one person control trains moving around a railyard to take apart and reassemble trains. A Federal Railroad Administration spokesperson says the agency is scrutinizing the use of remote control. The expanded use of remote-control trains outside of rail yards is also attracting attention.