Freight trains are safe at any length

Today the Transportation Research Board (TRB) released its study on operating freight trains longer than 7,500 feet. Over the past 80 years, railroads have safely managed trains of this length and beyond. At the same time, the industry’s safety record has dramatically improved, with the latest data showing the Class I mainline accident rate down 42% since 2000.

“Safety is at the center of every decision on the railroad, and train length is no different,” said AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies. “As operations continue to evolve, railroads are pulling on three key levers – technology, training and infrastructure – to further enhance safety and reliability. Railroads’ goal will always be delivering for our employees, communities and the economy – and to do it safely every day.”

All railroads consider several factors including commodity mix, track conditions and terrain when determining train makeup and length on every train across the 140,000-mile rail network, though processes may differ slightly across carriers. Many railroads rely on advanced “train builder” algorithms that analyze various operational factors, guiding car placement and ensuring trains are operating as safely as possible. Improvements to train building best practices have delivered even stronger safety results in recent years and will continue to be an area of intense focus for the industry.

Railroads also strategically deploy locomotives at key points throughout the train using a method known as distributed power. This common practice helps manage in-train forces to reduce operational risk. In distributed power train consists, locomotives are connected by closed communications systems that maintain constant connection to the lead locomotive and its highly qualified engineer.

Training is a priority, equipping engineers with the tools and experience to effectively and safely execute their jobs. This is why railroads offer simulator-based and on-the-job training for locomotive engineers for the most demanding class or type of service that the person will be permitted to perform. This comprehensive training ensures engineers are both adept with in-cab technologies like distributed power and familiar with the specifics of their unique territory. To confirm their readiness for real-world demands, the FRA requires engineers to undergo annual evaluations of their territory as well as conducts unannounced observations while they are at work.

As operations change, so do infrastructure needs. To accommodate longer trains, railroads continue invest over $23 billion annually into infrastructure, including adding and extending sidings. These improvements increase the fluidity of rail traffic and reduce the impact on local communities.

Maintaining network safety is a continual process that requires railroads to regularly review and adapt their operations. To support the TRB’s thorough review of train length issues, railroads provided substantial amounts of data, delivered numerous presentations to the committee and provided constructive feedback on the findings.

Despite the extensive review, the TRB study has several shortcomings. First, it arbitrarily focuses on trains exceeding 7,500 feet, despite acknowledging a lack of consensus on the appropriate definition of a “long” train. The study followed a Congressionally defined threshold without uniform agreement on its appropriateness. Additionally, the report notes the committee was unable to draw conclusions about potential community impacts of emission reductions or from occupied crossings by longer trains.

Ultimately, the TRB study does not demonstrate data supporting any claims that manifest trains exceeding 7,500 feet pose additional operational safety risks. Any effort to impose a prescriptive train length limit would be both irresponsible and unfounded.

An arbitrary limit on train length would risk disrupting the nation’s supply chain through increased network congestion and undermining environmental priorities. For example, AAR analysis found that restricting train length to 7,500 feet would increase U.S. mainline freight train fuel consumption by 13% or an additional 423 million gallons of fuel annually. This would be the equivalent to the annual emissions from about 930,000 cars.