Federal regulators are warning railroads that the long trains they favor can cause all kinds of problems and contribute to derailments, so they want the railroads to ensure their training and operating procedures account for that.
The Federal Railroad Administration stopped short of recommending in its latest safety advisory issued Thursday that railroads limit the size of their trains, which can routinely stretch more than 2 miles long. However, they did suggest a number of precautions including making sure engineers know how to handle them and that locomotives don’t lose communication with devices at the end of trains that can help trigger the brakes in an emergency.
Currently, there aren’t any restrictions on train length, but members of Congress and state lawmakers in at least six states have proposed establishing limits, particularly in the wake of the fiery Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio.