24 July 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT)- Kansas Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed is addressing concerns over a railroad safety proposal that’s under consideration. The rule would railroad companies to maintain a crew of at least two people in the engine cab of locomotives.
Reed spoke about the plan with Kansas Capitol Bureau in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
“The best overall thing for the citizens of Kansas is having two people on that crew that could potentially respond and act when a derailment or collision happens,” he said.
The proposal, which was recommended by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly earlier this year, is in the early stages of a 60-day public comment period. Reed said the agency will have to go through hundreds of written testimony, so it could take a while before a decision comes down.
Unions argue that mandating two-person crews is necessary to address safety concerns, during collisions and derailments. However, railroad industry officials say that the rule lacks a safety justification and that there’s technology in place to address collisions.
“Right now there’s currently no law or regulation that would not allow a zero-person crew in the state of Kansas, so essentially an autonomous train… and I don’t feel comfortable with that, and I don’t think we should feel comfortable with that right now, regardless of what the technology is,” Reed said.
“There will be train derailments, regardless of the train crew size…whether it’s zero, one, two, five…whatever… It’s important to understand that we have some sort of process… some sort of system in place … that’s really a human system…,” he continued.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration, Kansas is in the top 25 states for highway-rail grade crossing collisions, resulting in five deaths and 14 injuries in 2022 alone. Derailments resulted in nearly $10 million in damage in 2022.
“There’s not a lot that we can do, other than continue investment in our transportation system to help decrease that number,” Reed said.
Reed, who recently took on his official duties as head of the Kansas Department of Transportation, said he’s focusing on making decisions that minimize long-term costs.
“There’s going to be needs on our highway system for generations…forever… it is our transportation system… we have to continue to support it,” he said.