*

Railroads seek to use tech to cut human track inspections

by 75%

*

US unions, lawmakers say cutting human inspections would

risk

more accidents

*

Unions say technology only sees about a quarter of track

inspection items

*

Railroads say plan will increase safety and efficiency

By Lisa Baertlein

LOS ANGELES, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A U.S. railroad industry

plan to rely more heavily on technology instead of humans to

conduct routine track safety inspections has drawn a backlash

from labor groups and lawmakers who voiced worry that automated

inspections will result in more accidents.

The dispute reflects simmering tensions in the global

transport industry over the rise of automation. Also, U.S.

President Donald Trump wants to slash regulations he says are

holding back economic growth.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) in April

requested a waiver from the Federal Railroad Administration

(FRA) that would allow freight railroads that use automation to

slash the frequency of human-conducted track inspections by 75%.

If approved, the waiver would allow operators employing a

so-called "track geometry measurement system" (TGMS), which can

be attached to rail cars and spot derailment risks like tracks

that are warped or too far apart, to cut human inspections to

twice per month from twice per week.

The waiver would also provide railroads up to 72 hours

to address defects, while human inspectors can immediately make

repairs or choose to slow or stop trains.

The association, along with manufacturing and agriculture

trade groups that back the proposal, say the change would result

in earlier detection and remediation of track defects.

Tony Cardwell, president of the Brotherhood of Maintenance

of Way Employees Division (BMWED) union that represents track

inspectors and other rail workers, called AAR's analysis flawed.

The technology only checks about a quarter of the items in

track defect inspections, he said. Human inspectors also see

foundation issues like broken rail ties or water damage earlier,

allowing problems to be fixed before they get serious enough for

the technology to flag them.

"Track geometry is the end result of a defect, not the

cause of a defect," Cardwell said.

Opponents of the plan have noted that after three train

passengers died following a 2021 Amtrak derailment, a government

report concluded that automated track inspections do not find as

many types of track hazards as human inspectors.

A dozen Democratic U.S. Senators and the Democratic

ranking members of the House Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure also called on FRA to deny the waiver in recent

public comments on the proposal.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, who has more than 4,000 miles

of railroads in her state, said automated track inspections

"should not cut human track inspection at the expense of putting

public safety at risk."

Republican lawmakers did not submit public comments.

The AAR said the waiver would actually improve railroad

safety and operational efficiency.

"Layering technology on top of redundant and unnecessary,

old ways of conducting inspections is not a way to make an

industry competitive," said Michael Rush, AAR's senior vice

president for safety and operations.

AAR member railroads, including megamerger hopefuls Union

Pacific ( UNP ) and Norfolk Southern ( NSC ) as well as

Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK/A )-owned BNSF, back the request.

The National Association of Manufacturers and the National

Grain and Feed Association, both representing major U.S. freight

rail customers, also support the proposal.

The decision is now in the hands of FRA, which does not face

a deadline.

Train derailment rates are down over the last two decades,

though there are still roughly three per day in the country,

according to AAR and federal safety data.

Some have been major.

The village of East Palestine, Ohio is undertaking a

billion-dollar environmental cleanup after a Norfolk Southern ( NSC )

derailment in 2023. Two years earlier in 2021, an Amtrak

derailment on a freight rail track in Montana killed three

passengers.

After the Amtrak derailment, a National Transportation

Safety Board (NTSB) report spelled out some of the limitations

of TGMS technology. The report said the technology can provide

detailed information on specific track parameters, but does "not

capture the diverse array of unique track hazards detectable to

human inspectors."

NTSB and FRA did not immediately comment.

(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles)