--- title: HR 661. Federal Railroad Administration; deny CSX's request to become the first railroad to use Trip Optimizer's Zero-to-Zero feature; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr661 cite_as: HR 661, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr661 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr661.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr661/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71511 date: 2025-03-25 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr660.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr662.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr661.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 661 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-20 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Dewey McClain - Debbie Buckner - Kimberly Alexander - Rhonda Taylor - Long Tran - Arlene Beckles text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR661/2025 upstream_id: 2012236 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - railroad safety - train automation - CSX - federal railroad regulation --- # HR 661. Federal Railroad Administration; deny CSX's request to become the first railroad to use Trip Optimizer's Zero-to-Zero feature; urge ## Text 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 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution urges the federal government to block CSX from testing a fully automated start-and-stop feature called Zero-to-Zero on its trains. ### Plain-language summary CSX has asked the Federal Railroad Administration for permission to become the first railroad allowed to use a feature called Zero-to-Zero, part of a cruise-control system known as Trip Optimizer with Air Brake Control. This feature would let a train's computer system automatically start and stop the train on its own, including braking, without a human engineer directly controlling those functions between zero and nine miles per hour. This resolution does not change any Georgia law. It states the Georgia House of Representatives' position that the Federal Railroad Administration should deny CSX's request. It cites concerns that the technology has only been tested on about a quarter of CSX's rail network, that it could reduce engineers' hands-on skills, and that it malfunctions daily in ways that can cause train separation, blocked crossings, and derailments. The resolution directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally urges the Federal Railroad Administration, a federal agency, to deny CSX's request to use Trip Optimizer's Zero-to-Zero feature. - States the House's position that the feature, which automates train starting and stopping between zero and nine miles per hour, poses safety risks. - Notes that Zero-to-Zero has only been tested on about 25 percent of CSX's rail territory, not systemwide. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare copies of the resolution for distribution to the public and press. - Does not create, amend, or repeal any Georgia statute, since it is a resolution expressing the House's opinion rather than a bill. ### Who it affects CSX and its train engineers and conductors, communities near CSX rail lines across Georgia and the country, and the Federal Railroad Administration, which is the federal agency being urged to deny the request. Georgia residents living near rail crossings could also be affected by any safety outcomes. ### Why it matters If the Federal Railroad Administration follows the resolution's urging, CSX could be blocked from rolling out an automated braking and speed-control feature that the resolution says has not been fully tested and could reduce engineers' hands-on skills, potentially affecting train safety near Georgia communities. ### Key provisions - The preamble explains that CSX applied to the Federal Railroad Administration to become the first railroad allowed to use Trip Optimizer's Zero-to-Zero feature. - The preamble notes the Federal Railroad Administration's 2024 rule requiring two-person crews and barring engineer-only operation on most trains. - The preamble states Zero-to-Zero has been tested on only about 25 percent of CSX's territory and raises concerns about skill development for both new and experienced engineers. - The resolving clause formally urges the Federal Railroad Administration to deny CSX's request to use the Zero-to-Zero feature. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to make copies of the resolution available to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-20) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-25) - Sponsors: Dewey McClain, Debbie Buckner, Kimberly Alexander, Rhonda Taylor, Long Tran, Arlene Beckles - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71511 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr661.md?full=1