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Pennsylvania's House of Representatives March 12 approved a bill that would prohibit freight locomotives from operating in reverse or in a back-up position on the state's main and secondary lines (except during emergency situations, switching operations and passenger transportation).
"Operating large freight trains in reverse forces engineers into a contorted
position that keeps them from seeing instruments and gauges while facing
the direction of movement and checking trackside signals, and it subjects
them to the back draft of noxious fumes from the train's smoke stack,"
said State Rep. Mike Veon, the bill's sponsor, according to a Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers-prepared statement.
Railroads may run trains backward over thousands of grade crossings for as long as 12 hours, endangering the public and causing undue engineer fatigue, he said, adding that crews could have as much as 75 feet of high-hood locomotive in front of them when the unit's in reverse, reducing their ability to see cars or pedestrians on the crossings.
BLE officials believe the bill would affect reverse operations that are common practice for larger freight trains run by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway, which together operate 90 percent of the state's freight trains.
The legislation also would address issues BLE officials raised over potential health concerns crew members face when they're required to operate a diesel train backwards, including exposure to diesel emissions.
Modeled after a Maine law that prohibits reverse train operations, the bill would exempt regionals and short lines because those roads more-typically operate over short distances at relatively low speeds. The bill now moves to Pennsylvania Senate Transportation Committee for further action.