They got rid of the brakeman a long time ago on through freight trains. They have been 2 man crews for years, but of course road switchers, locals and yard jobs still have 3 man crews unless they are remote.
The 2 man crew is protected under the Crew Consist Agreement. Once the last protected trainman has retired, the Crew Consist Agreement can be re-visited and you can bet it will be. It will be changed significantly AGAIN, and we are going to lose many jobs.
All the FRA said was they pulled their requirement of 2 man crews. You have to understand this is all political just like everything else. For whatever reason (and we can all take a good guess) they are not backing the Unions now and many states have already voted on 2 man crew Bills. New Mexico is one that voted against the requirement of a 2 man crew. That itself was a flip flop at the Table when it came down to it. My congressman said he couldn't support a bill that created jobs by political means. THE JOBS ARE ALREADY THERE I told him, you are eliminating jobs and creating a safety risk. He hung up on me.
Railroads WILL have 1 man crews eventually. It's going to happen, just like everything else they have wanted. When they want it, they get it, no matter what.
Many locations already have "Responders" or "Utility Employees" to help with those air hose separations and everything else. they are already doing most of the work for the conductor so eliminating the conductor all together for the railroads
We didn't want Remote Control Operations, but it happened anyway. Ironic because most locations (at the big orange) have gotten rid of RCO and either went to a conventional job or eliminated it all together. This Precision Railroading is already taking its toll on train crews/jobs and it's only going to get worse.
If the 2 Man Crew Bill is coming to a vote in your state, I suggest calling, writing, emailing your congressman or woman. All that matter to these railroads is saving money, they do not care how many billions they profited the year before!
