Even though interstate trucking has taken over as the primary way to move goods domestically and to Canada and Mexico, railroads still move a lot of freight. However, there are over 1,000 freight train derailments a year. And every so often, a freight train derails as it passes through a town, and that train is carrying hazardous materials, and the town has to be evacuated. Apparently, the speed variations and sometimes sharp turns as the tracks go through towns create the hazards.
The railroads are immensely profitable. Nonetheless, they are trying to cut corners/costs by reducing the number of engineers on freight trains from two to one (!!). Exactly one person controlling a train that's a mile or more long?
The Obama administration implemented mandatory safety measures and allocated funds to improve railroad safety. But guess what--surprise, surprise--the Trump administration canceled all of those measures. The railroads bleated, and the pro-business, pro-death Republicans meekly obeyed. Historically, dating back to the 19th century, railroads in the US have had and exerted tremendous political clout.
Biden's infrastructure bill contains reinstatements of the Obama-era reforms, plus substantial additional funding. This is what Republicans are complaining about. Force railroads to have somebody actually driving the train so it doesn't go off the rails (literally) and wipe out half of Corn City, Iowa?? Damn that Biden, anyway!!
This is just another example of the harm the Republican knee-jerk "business friendly" mantra causes. Being anti-regulation means being pro-death.
