Railroad unions want scrutiny of remote control trains after death of worker in Ohio railyard

By JOSH FUNK
AP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Most of the reaction to the death of a rail worker who mistakenly stepped in front of two CSX locomotives last month has focused on whether the 19-year veteran should have seen the train coming. Rail unions say more attention should be put on the actions of a worker who was using a remote control to operate those locomotives but who could hardly see the front of them. The head of the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen union questions why locomotives don’t have the some kind of automated warning system similar to the kind of backup warnings nearly every new car has. CSX doesn’t plan to change its remote control operations because the railroad says the operator involved in this incident was following all the rules.