S. 1979 and H.R. 1748, the Safe Freight Act, would both require at a minimum a certified conductor and a certified locomotive engineer on freight trains operating in the United States.
Having two people on a freight train ensures safer monitoring of traffic at road crossings and allows train crews to communicate with each other to avoid mistakes that may contribute to an accident.
Airplanes can fly with one pilot, yet it is inconceivable for an airplane to operate with just a single pilot.
The same thinking should apply to freight trains, many which carry explosive materials which travel through high-density communities and well-traveled transportation corridors.
Please join us in telling elected officials that when it comes to public safety and the safety of our communities, two-person crews make sense.
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Member Voices
Hear about the Union directly from SMART Union members themselves.
Longtime Amtrak conductor Carol Jones — who is also a local chairperson with SMART-TD Local 1361 out of New Haven, Conn. — shares her story of coming up in the transportation industry and working as a pioneering woman in the passenger rail sector..
