HR661: HR661 Federal Railroad Administration; deny CSX's request to become the first railroad to use Trip Optimizer's Zero-to-Zero feature; urge

25 LC 112 3453 House Resolution 661 By: Representatives McClain of the 109th, Buckner of the 137th, Alexander of the 66th, Taylor of the 92nd, Tran of the 80th, and others A RESOLUTION Urging the Federal Railroad Administration to deny CSX's reques t t o b e c o m e t h e f i r s t1 railroad to use Trip Optimizer's Zero-to-Zero feature; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, the safety of Georgians is the paramount duty of government; and3 WHEREAS, numerous train accidents have caused enormous damage t o human life and4 property in recent years; and5 WHEREAS, the safety of train operations impacts communities acr oss this state and the6 country; and7 WHEREAS, CSX has applied to the Federal Railroad Administration to become the first8 railroad to use Trip Optimizer's Zero-to-Zero feature, which allows the cruise-control system9 to automatically start and stop trains from beginning to end; and10 WHEREAS, a computer system or algorithm cannot replace the skil l, judgment, and11 adaptability of a trained engineer and conductor; therefore, al lowing a system that relies12 solely on technology to control the brakes—the train's most ess ential safety feature—is13 dangerous; and14 H. R. 661 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3453 WHEREAS, the Federal Railroad Administration finalized a two-person crew rule in 2024,15 establishing two-person crews and barring engineer-only operation on most trains; and16 WHEREAS, Trip Optimizer with Air Brake Control is a precursor t o autonomous train17 operation; and18 WHEREAS, Zero-to-Zero has yet to be tested systemwide and has o nly been tested on19 approximately 25 percent of CSX territory, leaving too many unanswered questions for it to20 be implemented systemwide; and21 WHEREAS, becoming a skilled and efficient locomotive engineer r equires years of22 locomotive operation, but Zero-to-Zero usage does not allow newly promoted engineers to23 continually develop their train operation skills; and24 WHEREAS, Trip Optimizer usage does not allow experienced locomo tive engineers to25 continue refining their skills as trains become longer and heav ier, all of which handle26 differently, and its continued use diminishes the skills of experienced engineers due to the27 lack of manual operation; and28 WHEREAS, the Trip Optimizer system on locomotives malfunctions daily, failing to operate29 trains smoothly and allowing for excessive draft and buff forces within the train, which can30 cause train separation, block crossings, delay emergency respon se vehicles, and lead to31 derailments that put communities at risk; and32 WHEREAS, the Georgia Working Families Legislative Caucus urges the Georgia State33 Senate to call on the Federal Railroad Administration to deny C SX's request to use Trip34 H. R. 661 - 2 - 25 LC 112 3453 Optimizer's Zero-to-Zero feature, which allows the system to au tomatically start and stop35 trains when moving from zero to nine miles per hour.36 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that37 the members of this body urge the Federal Railroad Administration to deny CSX's request38 to use Trip Optimizer's Zero-to-Zero feature, which allows the system to automatically start39 and stop trains when moving from zero to nine miles per hour.40 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized41 and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution avai lable for distribution to the42 public and the press.43 H. R. 661 - 3 -