Governor McKee Holds Ceremonial Signing of “Commonsense” Freight Train Safety Bills
Governor McKee is joined by bill sponsors, local leaders, and advocates during Thursday’s bill signing ceremony in Pawtucket.
PAWTUCKET, RI —At the site of the Pawtucket and Central Falls train station, Governor Dan McKee held a ceremonial signing of bills H7608/S2913 requiring a minimum of two crew members to operate any train or light engine carrying freight. Joining the Governor were bill sponsors Representative Matthew Dawson and Senator Lammis Vargas, as well as the New England Chair of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Daniel Cadogan and the New England Safety and Legislative Director of SMART-TD Dave Stevenson.
“Requiring two crew members on a train carrying freight is a commonsense safety measure,” said Governor McKee. “If an issue arises on a delivery route, you need two crew members on board—one to operate the train and a second person to address the problem.”
“This is commonsense public safety legislation,” said Representative Matthew S. Dawson (D-Dist. 65, East Providence). “Just like commercial airliners are required to have two licensed pilots on every plane, freight trains, which can consist of dozens or even hundreds of cars carrying heavy and sometimes hazardous loads, shouldn’t be entirely reliant on a single individual.”
“Most, but not all, freight railroad companies abide by the standard in our bill,” Senator Lammis Vargas (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence) added. “However, as technology has evolved, they have been able to whittle staff on each train significantly, and trains in other parts of the country have been operated by a crew of just one. This bill ensures that doesn’t happen in Rhode Island, particularly since we have freight trains running through some of our most heavily populated communities.”
“Codifying the two-person crew industry standard may seem like a commonsense approach to railroading, but in a world full of corporate greed and wage theft, it isn’t,” said Daniel Cadogan, Chairman of the New England Legislative Board of the Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. “Railroads around the country have exploited the federal government’s lack of safety regulations in the industry, but because of this legislation and the hard work and support of many people, including Governor McKee, it’s not happening in Rhode Island.”
“We are proud to play a part in the passage of a two-person crew requirement in Rhode Island,” said Dave Stevenson, New England Safety and Legislative Director of SMART-TD. “This is a measure that will preserve the integrity and the safety of freight services for years to come.”
