WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) - The Transportation

Department's Federal Railroad Administration said Tuesday it

will require major railroads to have at least two crew members

for most trips.

The final rule creates a special approval process for

railroads seeking to initiate new one-person train crew

operations and requires trains carrying some hazardous waste to

have two-person crew.

"Common sense tells us that large freight trains, some of

which can be over three miles long, should have at least two

crew members on board - and now there's a federal regulation in

place to ensure trains are safely staffed," said Transportation

Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The Association of American Railroads, an industry trade

group, criticized the rule saying the agency "is doubling down

on an unfounded and unnecessary regulation that has no proven

connection to rail safety."

In 2019, the administration of then President Donald Trump

withdrew a proposed regulation on crew staffing saying "no

regulation of train crew staffing is necessary or appropriate

for railroad operations to be conducted safely at this time."

Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades

Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, praised the Biden

administration rule saying it "acknowledges that crew size is

fundamentally a safety issue at its core. Rail workers

experience the risks of the job daily, and have made it clear

that two-person crews are inherently necessary to ensure the

safe operation of our rail systems."

The issue of rail safety has garnered new attention

since the February 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern ( NSC )

operated train in East Palestine, Ohio. The train caught fire

and released over a million gallons of hazardous materials and

pollutants.