The Trump administration has proposed a new rule that would require Mexican train crews to understand key safety information in English when crossing into the US. This move aims to ensure that crews can communicate effectively with dispatchers and emergency responders during a crisis.
Background
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) sent letters to Union Pacific and CPKC in December after inspections found that train crews often had trouble understanding English. The government urged the railroads to reexamine their practices and ensure that Mexican crews can speak English and don’t operate a train more than 10 miles inside the US.
The proposed rule has been praised by two major rail unions, who believe it will strengthen safety standards and protect US jobs. Mark Wallace, the national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union, has been raising concerns about the practice of using Mexican train crews for several years due to safety, security, and job concerns.
The SMART-TD union, which represents conductors and other rail workers, also supports the provisions of the rule that will prohibit train crews from using a system similar to cruise control for freight trains when they take their certification tests. According to Jared Cassity, SMART-TD’s top safety expert, this will help ensure that engineers can safely operate a train, not just supervise a computer doing it.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
