Fewer Eyes Mean More Derailments

Our lives depend on one thing above all else: safe tracks. That’s why SMART-TD is pushing back against a new waiver request from the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the Class I Railroads it represents. 

The AAR wants permission from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to reduce human visual track inspections by 75%, claiming it will replace the human inspectors with Automated Track Inspection (ATI) systems. But here’s the truth: ATI misses 73% of defect types that human inspectors catch.  

That’s not safety, it’s a shortcut. When shortcuts fail on the railroad, people die. 

We filed a full public comment with the FRA to stop this waiver. You can read it below, but here’s what you need to know. 

The AAR Wants to Cut Inspections in Half — Then Do It Again 

Current rules require that tracks get two human inspections per week. Under the AAR’s waiver request, that would drop to two per month.  

As a result, potentially broken tracks would remain in service for days on end, with nothing more than a computer readout and a 72-hour wait-and-see policy if a defect is found. 

Ask yourself this. Would you want your train to be the 12th or 200th one to run over a piece of track flagged by a machine for a defect but not fixed for three days?   

Technology Should Help, Not Replace, Human Judgement 

SMART-TD fully supports innovations that make the railroad safer.  

During a June Congressional hearing, Brotherhood of Maintenace of Way Employees (BMWE) President Tony Cardwell spelled it out clearly: ATI can only identify track defects related to track geometry and misses 73% of the derailment-causing defect types that trained track inspectors regularly identify. Letting this waiver through would mean blind spots—big ones—on nearly every mile of track. 

This means they can’t detect loose bolts, worn ties, damaged switches, track obstructions and more.  

President Cardwell also cited the Bible in his testimony, quoting Ezekiel 33:6.

“But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and does not sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their death.” 

At SMART-TD we have been sounding the alarm for years. We see what’s coming, and we’re calling on the FRA to heed our warning.  

This Waiver Isn’t About Safety, It’s About Profit (As Always) 

Don’t be fooled by the AAR’s language. They’re not asking to use ATI. They already can, and as often as they like. There is no regulation that prevents it.  

What they’re really asking for is permission to get rid of track inspectors’ paychecks, which are an investment in employees who know the tracks the best.

We won’t stand by while that happens. 

This will increase the risk, and our members will be the first to experience the consequences. The men and women of SMART-TD are not data points in a risk manager’s spreadsheet. The communities we run through are not acceptable collateral damage. The risk of one preventable derailment (let alone dozens) is too high to justify a little extra in a stockholder’s dividend check. 

We’re Standing Up for Our Members and the Public 

SMART-TD stands with our BMWE brothers and sisters, and we won’t back down. Your safety is not negotiable.  

The FRA must reject this waiver, keep inspections by certified track inspectors intact, and refuse to gamble on rail safety. 

We’re proud to fight for the lives, dignity, and future of our members. 

Read our full comment below and stand with us.