R-16-15VILLAGE OF DEERFIELD
LAKE AND COOK COUNTIES, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. 0 -16 -15
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF FRA CREW SIZE RULE
WHEREAS, the safe operation of freight and passenger trains is vital not only to interstate
commerce but also to the health and welfare of local communities, and the Village of Deerfield
supports efforts to keep train operations safe in our Village;
WHEREAS, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has published a notice of proposed
rulemaking (NPRM) to require minimum staffing on trains, a factor vital to ensuring safe train
operations;
WHEREAS the FRA NPRM proposes two alternate options for permitting a railroad to operate
with fewer than a two - person crew, the first of which is stronger because it requires FRA review
and approve prior to commencement of those operation as opposed to after;
WHEREAS, polling across the nation shows overwhelming bi- partisan support of two-person
crews, with 83 to 87 percent of those polled in favor of mandating that trains be operated by a
crew of at least two qualified individuals;
WHEREAS, national studies show that a minimum of two onboard crew members is vital to
operate a train safely and minimize the likelihood of train - related accidents;
WHEREAS, the FRA proposal for a two - person minimum train crew recognizes that, while
technologies like Positive Train Control (PTC) can improve safety, they do not perform several
important physical and cognitive functions currently performed by a second crewmember;
WHEREAS, attending to a disabled train in a timely manner, opening a blocked crossing for an
emergency vehicle to pass, and providing timely and accurate information to emergency
responders are vital functions train crews perform;
WHEREAS, a railroad's use or reliance on new, innovative technology for its operations should
not place new risks or burdens on local communities;
WHEREAS, metropolitan Chicago is the one of nation's largest and most significant rail hubs,
making rail safety an important consideration for many of the region's municipalities and
counties with rail lines within their boundaries;
WHEREAS, the Chicago metropolitan region is home to some 1,500 public at -grade highway -
rail crossings, which account for some 7,800 hours of motorist delay each weekday;
WHEREAS, over 280 collisions have occurred at the Chicago metropolitan region's highway -
rail grade crossings between 2009 -14, resulting in 65 fatalities and 146 injuries;
WHEREAS, rail safety issues have been particularly salient in recent years after a series of high -
profile derailments, collisions, and releases of flammable liquids shipped by rail, as well as
collisions at highway -rail grade crossings across the country and in Canada and has caused
Canadian regulators to put in place a two- member crew requirement for any train transporting
hazardous goods;
WHEREAS, virtually all trains in North America are already operated by crews of at least two
individuals, making the economic impact of the FRA NPRM minimal;
WHEREAS, the public deserves the assurance that a thorough risk analysis has been completed,
risks have been properly identified, and a rail carrier has mitigated these risks in advance of any
approval for reduced crew staffing and borne the burden and cost to mitigate these risks;
THEN THEREFORE be it resolved, that the Village of Deerfield does hereby support the FRA's
train crew staffing NPRM, and encourages the FRA to strengthen the rule to ensure that
communities around railroads are protected and safe by requiring FRA review and approval
before a railroad is allowed to operate with less than a two - person crew.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution be filed with the United States Department of
Transportation in the form of comments to Docket Number FRA - 2014 -0033 and Regulatory
Identification Number 2130 -AC48 in support of strong federal rule.
PASSED this _1st_ day of _August_, 2016.
AYES: Farkas, jester, Nadler, Seiden, Shapiro, Struthers
NAYS: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
APPROVED this _1st day of _ ugust_, 2016.
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Village President
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Village Clerk