SR 410: Federal Railroad Administration; deny CSX's request to become the first railroad to use Trip Optimizer's Zero-to-Zero feature; urge

CSX has asked the federal Railroad Administration for permission to become the first railroad to use a feature called Zero-to-Zero, part of its Trip Optimizer cruise-control system. This feature would let the system automatically start and stop trains when moving between zero and nine miles per hour, rather than requiring a human engineer to control the brakes at those speeds. This resolution does not change Georgia law. It is a formal statement from the Georgia Senate expressing its position and asking a federal agency to act. The resolution states that Zero-to-Zero has only been tested on about 25 percent of CSX's rail territory, argues that relying on automation for braking is risky, and says the feature could interfere with engineers developing hands-on skills. It directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press, but it creates no new requirements, penalties, or funding.

• Formally urges the Federal Railroad Administration to deny CSX's application to use the Zero-to-Zero feature of its Trip Optimizer system.
• States the Senate's position that automated braking control between zero and nine miles per hour poses safety risks compared to human-operated braking.
• Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies of the resolution available to the public and the press.
• Does not create any new Georgia statute, penalty, funding, or enforcement mechanism, since it is a resolution rather than a bill.

CSX and its train engineers and conductors, communities near CSX rail lines in Georgia and beyond, and the Federal Railroad Administration, which is the federal agency being asked to act on CSX's request.

If the Federal Railroad Administration follows the Senate's request, CSX could be blocked from testing or deploying a technology that automates low-speed train braking, which the resolution argues could affect derailment risk, engineer skill development, and community safety near rail crossings.

• The whereas clauses describe CSX's pending request to the Federal Railroad Administration to use the Zero-to-Zero feature, which automates starting and stopping trains from zero to nine miles per hour.
• The whereas clauses note the feature has been tested on only about 25 percent of CSX's rail territory and cite daily malfunctions of the broader Trip Optimizer system.
• The resolving clause formally urges the Federal Railroad Administration to deny CSX's request.
• The final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.

1. 2025-03-20Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-03-18Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Nan Orrock (D, SD-36)Primary sponsor
• Harold Jones II (D, SD-22)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-44)
• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-39)
• Kim Jackson (D, SD-41)
• Ed Harbison (D, SD-15)
• Nikki Merritt (D, SD-9)
• Derek Mallow (D, SD-2)
• Sheikh Rahman (D, SD-5)
• Gail Davenport (D, SD-17)
• Tonya Anderson (D, SD-43)
• Kenya Wicks (D, SD-34)

• railroad safety
• train automation
• CSX
• federal regulation
• transportation safety