Railroad’s plan to test idea to cut train crews put on hold

By JOSH FUNK
AP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific’s latest attempt to move toward cutting its train crews down to one person remains on hold. That’s because of the longstanding safety concerns of the union that represents conductors. The railroad had wanted to start a pilot project this year in western Nebraska to test out how quickly a conductor based in a truck could respond to train problems compared to how fast the conductor aboard the train could address them. But the conductors’ union refused to agree to it because they believe the conductor plays a crucial safety role. UP executives told the Federal Railroad Administration that their plan would help them determine how feasible cutting train crews is and might give the agency valuable information to consider as it weighs whether to require two-person crews.