The Amtrak crash that killed eight people this month raised questions of the safety of one-engineer trains, thwarting the idea of reducing freight crews for now, Union Pacific Corp. Chief Executive Officer Lance Fritz said.
While cargo operators would save money with a single person in the cab instead of two people, that argument will be a tough sell to railroad workers and union leaders after the May 12 accident in Philadelphia, Fritz said. Amtrak trains in the Northeast Corridor have used solo engineers since 1983, according to a union statement.
“It makes the conversation more difficult today,” Fritz said in an interview at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York Wednesday. “That’s because it becomes a more emotional conversation as opposed to a conversation grounded in fact and the capability of technology.”
Read more from Bloomberg Business.
Related News
- 2026 Railroad Retirement and Unemployment Insurance Tax Changes
- SMART-TD Members on UP Properties Ratify Five-Year Agreement
- Railroader’s Son to Perform at Carnegie Hall
- Rail Trespassing and Suicide Fatalities Up 70%
- Help the McLucas Family After Fire Destroys Their Home
- SMART-TD’s Chris Smith Wins City Council Seat in Tama, Iowa
- Railroader Healthcare Costs Remain Stable While National Averages Soar
- Call to Action in Mass.: Transit Safety Legislation Up for Final Vote
- New Jersey’s “Vote Labor” Push led by SMART-TD’s Ron Sabol
- Stand with Sister Nydia Sandoval on Monday!