Union Wants 2-Person Cab Crews On Amtrak
By Walt Hunter
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is calling for two-person crew staffing in the cabs of Amtrak passenger trains, following a derailment in Port Richmond last Tuesday night that killed eight, and injured nearly 200 others.
The union posted a statement on its website reading, in part, "Amtrak has since 1983 refused to crew Northeast Corridor trains with more than one employee in the cab. There should be two crew members in the cab of all trains to ensure public safety."
NTSB investigators say engineer Brandon Bostian was alone in the cab of train 188 when it entered the Frankford Junction curve traveling 106 miles an hour, more than twice the 50 mile an hour speed limit.
"The public would never accept an airline operation with a single person in the cockpit," the union statement reads. "There is no reason that rail employees and rail passengers' lives should be viewed any differently."
Amtrak emailed a response that reads, "Amtrak operates its locomotives in accordance with standards and regulations set forth by the Federal Railroad Administration. As an operating crew, Engineers and Conductors work together to ensure the safe operation of the train. Amtrak is and always has been committed to safety as its number one priority and continues to work with all the stakeholders toward a consensus on the appropriate management of crew resources in passenger train locomotives."
Meanwhile NTSB officials confirm that a blood sample taken from the engineer, which is a routine procedure following accidents, is now being analyzed by a lab in Oklahoma.
