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Straight
Track #99
Remote Control
U.S.
Rail News
Vol. 25 No. 3
Published January 30, 2002
U.S. Rail News,
in Vol. 25 No. 3 published January 30, 2002, wrote two articles concerning
remote control: "Major Railroads Begin Pilot Project Using Remote Control
in Railyard" and "Court Order Gives Railroad Approval to move Ahead
with Remote Control."
As a result of every railroader's
interest in this issue, we are sharing with you both articles in their entirety.
MAJOR RAILROADS BEGIN PILOT PROJECT
USING REMOTE CONTROL IN RAILYARD
Employee training that began last week in Kansas City for use of remote control to move locomotives in railyards is the apparent beginning of big savings for railroads but a huge blow to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
The first regular use of the remote control devices is scheduled to being next week by railyard employees of Kansas City Southern Industries, which has purchased 50 of the Beltpack systems from Montreal-based Canac Inc.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and Union Pacific Railroad also are involved in the pilot program. Employees assigned to training and use of the remote control devices are members of the United Transportation Union.
The railroads hope to save as much as $250 million by using remote control instead of engineers to move locomotives and to automate rail car switching to new locomotives. However, at the same time they are alienating the
BLE, which is threatening a long legal battle and job actions to prevent their members from being replaced by machines.
"We are using them for two primary reasons," Kansas City Southern Industries spokesman Bill Galligan told U.S. Rail News. "To increase production and to increase safety.”
Following the first uses by Kansas City Southern Industries, the railroad plans to expand use of remote control to its railyards in Shreveport, La.; East St. Louis, Ill.; and Jackson, Miss. Each of the $140,000 Beltpacks consists of a radio transmitter and a receiver remote control unit.
"It is too early for us to give any savings estimates," Galligan said. "Obviously, the 50 devices will remove the need for 50 jobs. It is important to note the KCS does not expect any layoffs due to this new program. Any reductions will come through attrition."
Other railroads gave similar explanations for using remote control. "We expect to test remote control in switching operations to enhance safety," said Jon Bromley, Union Pacific spokesman.
With the Beltpacks, the receiver and automated control portions of the system are installed in the locomotive while the transmitter is strapped to the waist of the person maneuvering locomotives into position. The handler of the transmitter can work from the ground, eliminating the need for an engineer in the locomotive and reducing safety hazards of railyard switching.
Other advantages for railroads are less time needed to move trains and no potential for miscommunications between the railyard worker and an engineer. In Canada, where remote control is used extensively by railroads, government statistics show the systems are twice as safe [as] manned railyard locomotive movements.
Widespread Use Is Coming Soon
Kansas City Southern Industries plans to eventually use remote control throughout its rail system, which could eliminate all railyard engineer positions. Instead, three-person crews will be reduced to two workers and jobs assigned to two-person crews will be done by a single employee. So far, only one remote control unit has been installed on a Kansas City Southern Industries locomotive. By September, the railroad plans to have them installed on 50 locomotives.
The Federal Railroad Administration, which approved use of remote control only last year, continues to develop guidelines for railroads. Meanwhile, an agreement between the UTU and the National Wage and Rules Panel, which represents major railroads, has eliminated at least some of the labor opposition to the remote control pilot projects.
"The panel believes that successful implementation of remote control technology will be substantially facilitated by the insights and experience gained through these pilot projects," said a joint statement by National Carriers' Conference Chairman Robert Allen and UTU International President Byron Boyd, Jr.
CSX Transportation has announced plans to use the systems even more extensively than Kansas City Southern Industries. CSX has ordered 100 LRC remote control units from
Cattron-Theimeg.
Union Pacific has purchased five LRC units from Cattron-Theimeg but has not yet announced where they will be used. Burlington Northern has purchased two Canac Beltpack units. Norfolk Southern has purchased two units from Cattron-Theimeg and two from
Canac. Contact: Frank Wilner, UTU, at (703) 304-7022; or Joanna Moorhead, National Carriers’ Conference Committee, at (202) 862-7257.
COURT ORDER GIVES RAILROAD APPROVAL
TO MOVE AHEAD WITH REMOTE CONTROL
Major U.S. railroads won a court order recently to stop a strike by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, who protested a decision by railroads to let rival union members use remote control to switch freights cars between trains instead of letting the engineers do it.
The BLE said allowing United Transportation Union workers to replace the jobs of engineers with remote control violated the BLE's labor contract. A strike could shut down rail shipments while the economy is still trying to recover from a recession.
U.S. District Court Judge Joan Gottschall granted an injunction requested by Union Pacific Corp., Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., Norfolk Southern Corp. and CSX Corp. The railroads plan to being using remove control this year. They say it could save them $250 million in reduced labor costs, which at the same time could eliminate jobs for some locomotive engineers.
Ruling Creates More Questions Than Answers
The court order does not end labor disputes about remote control. Instead, it may be only the opening salvo in a long struggle between railroad labor and management. "It's been our position all along that locomotive engineers should run locomotives, regardless of whether they're in the cab or on the ground," said BLE President Don Hahs after the ruling. He pledged to continue the legal battle.
The court's ruling said the BLE planned to strike when UTU members began using remote control devices to replace engineers. Railroads argued that there was nothing in the collective bargaining agreement with the BLE that would prevent them from letting members of other unions use new technologies, such as remote control.
The railroads and the UTU said in a joint statement after the court's ruling that they plan to use remote control in pilot projects while they negotiate for wider use. Contact: John Bentley,
BLE, at (216) 241-2630.
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