Kansas became the 10th state in the nation Wednesday to require two-person railroad crews despite objections from freight railroads, but the industry may challenge the rule in court as it has in other states like Ohio. The major freight railroads have long pushed to cut crews down to one person, but unions have resisted because they believe it’s safer to have two people working together to operate trains. Governor Kelly says two-person crews “will protect workers from the effects of fatigue, prevent train derailments and reduce risks in the many Kansas communities along railroad tracks. The railroad industry, however maintains there isn’t enough evidence to show that two-person crews are safer and many short-line railroads already operate with a single person aboard.
