Citizens of Florida in Support of Two Person Crews for Railroad Safety

Signers of this petition support and agree that Federal and State action is required for safer operation of trains through our communities by reducing risk that arises from relying on a single individual.
Currently, 99% of US railroad companies have two crew members, a Conductor and Engineer. However, railroad companies keep asking their employees to do more with less or go further when Federal Hours of Service time is short. Single crew operation is inching its way into the industry. Look no further than the (MM&A) disaster in Quebec.
Railroads are much safer than they used to be, but this trend can be reversed if action is not taken. Modern trains are much longer and carry tremendous tonnages, including hazardous materials. If a train breaks down for some reason with a single person crew, a blocked railroad crossing takes away valuable time when Police and Fire units need to respond to emergencies. Train crews work as a team to clear blocked crossings and a two person train crew is what is needed for safe train operation.

Currently, HR 3040, and S 2784 have been introduced on a Federal level. State Legislation is either pending or in the works across the nation. The Canadian Transportation Safety Board has issued a mandate to force Rail companies to operate with two person train crews. The US Federal Railroad Administration has formed a Rail Safety Advisory Committee to look into minimum train crew size regulations.