Rail yard deals with remote technology

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Burlington Northern Santa Fe Switch Foreman Gary Burr never imagined his job would come to this. After nearly 40 years of moving switch engines through the Springfield rail yard via two-way communication with an engineer in the cab, Burr has the controls in his hands literally.|ret||ret||tab|

From the three-pound radio transmitter on his vest, Burr starts, moves and stops switch engines, directing cars through the rail yard at the flick of a switch.|ret||ret||tab|

"It will basically do what I tell it to," Burr said. "I am controlling the engine from the ground. I never thought I'd be out here without an engineer."|ret||ret||tab|

As previously reported by SBJ, this spring BNSF implemented remote control technology in its Springfield yard, replacing engineers inside the switch engines. A remote control transmitter like the one Burr uses sends signals to a unit in the switch engine, which moves the train.|ret||ret||tab|

The technology is getting mixed reviews.|ret||ret||tab|

"My way of thinking, nothing is going to beat a man in the engine," said Gary Rogers, BNSF utility man, sitting atop the hump tower and changing tracks for Burr. "But I'm not going to change it. That's not for me to decide."|ret||ret||tab|

The decision came from a BNSF and United Transportation Union agreement in August 2002 that gave switch engine ground controls to UTU employees, and took it out of the hands of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers employees in the trains. |ret||ret||tab|

Canadian railroads have used remote controls in yards for about 10 years, and Canadian companies manufacture the equipment used in U.S. yards.|ret||ret||tab|

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Safety issues|ret||ret||tab|

BNSF officials say the technology improves safety, citing 42 percent fewer accidents and one-third fewer injuries in its yards throughout the country since it rolled out the technology in early 2002. There are 36 BNSF yards using remote controls.|ret||ret||tab|

There have been five accidents in the Springfield yard since the technology was introduced in April: four derailments and one collision, according to BNSF officials. Bob Baker, superintendent of operations, said he is not alarmed because similar accidents occurred when engineers were in the cabs.|ret||ret||tab|

"In this business you have that happen," he said, adding that the recent accidents were due to human communication errors.|ret||ret||tab|

While safety improvements have been touted, the engineers' union claims there have been more than 50 reported accidents throughout the country because of remote controls. As of June 30, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers officials say 21 cities and nine counties none of them in Missouri had passed safety resolutions banning remote controls. There are more than 100 communities in the United States using remote controls.|ret||ret||tab|

The engineers' union has questioned the technology since day one based on safety concerns, said Rick Gibbons, general chairman of the engineers' union.|ret||ret||tab|

"It seemed ludicrous to us to take the most highly qualified, federally certified employee out of the engineer seat and replace him with an individual with a handful of hours of experience," Gibbons said.|ret||ret||tab|

Remote control operators receive 80 hours of classroom and on-the-job training, BNSF officials said. In comparison, engineer training lasts six months, according to union officials.|ret||ret||tab|

The engineers' union also points a finger at the Federal Railroad Administration. Gibbons said the railroad carriers' governing body should set stringent guidelines for the technology.|ret||ret||tab|

"We feel like the FRA has taken a back seat to corporate America," he said. "We would like to see the FRA step up to the plate and really address the situation."|ret||ret||tab|

The FRA governs the training of remote control operators and inspects the devices.|ret||ret||tab|

FRA Administrator Allan Rutter released a written statement on the issue in March. |ret||ret||tab|

"Based on safety data gathered to date, there is nothing to indicate that remote-control operations should be banned from use," he stated. "Our commitment remains to proceed cautiously, closely monitoring the use of remote-control technology."|ret||ret||tab|

The FRA is conducting a risk assessment of remote control locomotive operations, Rutter said.|ret||ret||tab|

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Employment|ret||ret||tab|

BNSF has trained 48 local employees as remote control operators and hopes to have as many as 120 operators in the Springfield yard by the end of next year, according to Baker. At press time, there were 15 new hires in training.|ret||ret||tab|

Of the 300 BNSF employees in the local yard, approximately 200 are United Transportation Union members and 100 are Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers members. |ret||ret||tab|

BNSF officials have maintained that no local jobs are lost due to the technology; seven Springfield engineers who formerly handled switch engines have been assigned to over-the-road duties. When BNSF engineers are removed from the yard, they enter a pool of engineers who run over-the-road trains. "There hasn't been a layoff and there won't be," Forsberg said.|ret||ret||tab|

But that's not the issue for the engineers' union.|ret||ret||tab|

Gibbons fears that remote controls could someday be used over the road. "This is just the first step. The technology is there to do a lot more," he said. "We feel the carriers have not only opened the door to this, but they've kicked the door open."|ret||ret||tab|

Engineers have an average salary of $80,000, while remote control switch operators make between $50,000 and $70,000, according to union representatives.|ret||ret||tab|

Gibbons feels the carrier's efforts to save money are coming at the expense of the engineers he represents.|ret||ret||tab|

"We feel the carriers have tried to better their bottom line with the new technology," he said.|ret||ret||tab|

Forsberg said there is a financial motive, but it also is tied to safety.|ret||ret||tab|

"The biggest initial benefit is avoiding all of the costs related with accidents and, worse yet, with injuries. In the long run, is there also a secondary level of savings in working with a two-person crew as opposed to a three-person crew? Yeah, there are. But those are going to be a smaller savings."|ret||ret||tab|

Forsberg compares the resistance against remote controls to when carriers eliminated caboose cars about a decade ago.|ret||ret||tab|

"Anytime there's been a new safety technology in some mode in transportation in this country there seems to be a certain resistance to it. But in this case, the resistance is really unfounded because the (engineers' union) members aren't even losing jobs over it," he said. "Engineers are still working. They are running over-the-road engines, which is what engineers are predominantly trained to do anyway."|ret||ret||tab|

So do the BNSF workers in the yard feel safe using the remote controls?|ret||ret||tab|

"That's a loaded question," Burr said, his hands resting on the transmitter. "It does what it says it will do."|ret||ret||tab|

But another thing it does is brings greater stress to the job, Burr said. "I've got to adjust to it. It's just part of the job."|ret||ret||tab|

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