--- title: SR 410. 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/sr410 cite_as: SR 410, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr410 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr410.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr410/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71414 date: 2025-03-20 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/sr409.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr411.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 95 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr410.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 410 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-18 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Nan Orrock - Harold Jones - Elena Parent - Sonya Halpern - Kim Jackson - Ed Harbison - Nikki Merritt - Derek Mallow - Sheikh Rahman - Gail Davenport - Tonya Anderson - Kenya Wicks text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR410/2025 upstream_id: 2010525 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - railroad safety - train automation - CSX - federal rail regulation --- # SR 410. 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 3394 Senate Resolution 410 By: Senators Orrock of the 36th, Jones II of the 22nd, Parent of the 44th, Halpern of the 39th, Jackson of the 41st 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 S. R. 410 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3394 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 S. R. 410 - 2 - 25 LC 112 3394 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 SENATE that the members of this body37 urge the Federal Railroad Administration to deny CSX's request to use Trip Optimizer's38 Zero-to-Zero feature, which allows the system to automatically start and stop trains when39 moving from zero to nine miles per hour.40 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed41 to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the42 press.43 S. R. 410 - 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 Senate resolution urges the Federal Railroad Administration to deny CSX's request to become the first railroad allowed to use Trip Optimizer's Zero-to-Zero feature, which lets trains start and stop on their own. ### Plain-language summary CSX has asked the Federal Railroad Administration (a federal agency, not a Georgia one) for permission to be the first railroad to use a feature called Zero-to-Zero on its Trip Optimizer cruise-control system. That feature would let the system automatically start and stop trains when moving between zero and nine miles per hour, without a person operating the brakes at that stage. This resolution states the Georgia Senate's position that the feature should not be approved. It cites concerns that the technology has only been tested on about a quarter of CSX's rail network, that it could prevent new and experienced engineers from developing hands-on skills, and that the system has reportedly malfunctioned in ways that could cause train separation, blocked crossings, or derailments. The resolution does not change any Georgia law; it directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and the press. ### What it does - Formally states the Georgia Senate's position urging the Federal Railroad Administration to deny CSX's request to use the Zero-to-Zero feature. - Describes Zero-to-Zero as a feature that lets the Trip Optimizer system automatically start and stop trains between zero and nine miles per hour. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and the press. - Does not create any new law, penalty, or funding; it is a statement of legislative opinion directed at a federal agency. ### Who it affects CSX and other railroads operating in Georgia, locomotive engineers and conductors, communities near rail lines and crossings, and the federal Railroad Administration, which actually decides whether to approve CSX's request. ### Why it matters If the Federal Railroad Administration follows the concerns raised here, CSX could be blocked from rolling out automated train starting and stopping, keeping engineers manually controlling trains at low speeds. The resolution itself carries no legal force in Georgia; it is meant to influence a federal decision. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses lay out the Senate's reasoning: recent train accidents, the 2024 federal two-person crew rule, and concerns that automation could replace human judgment on train brakes. - The resolution notes Zero-to-Zero has only been tested on about 25 percent of CSX's territory, which it says leaves unanswered safety questions. - It states that continued Trip Optimizer use could stop new and experienced engineers from developing or maintaining manual operating skills. - It states that the Trip Optimizer system reportedly malfunctions daily, causing excessive draft and buff forces that can lead to train separation or derailments. - The final resolved clause formally urges the Federal Railroad Administration to deny CSX's request for the Zero-to-Zero feature. - A closing clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-18) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-03-20) - Sponsors: Nan Orrock, Harold Jones, Elena Parent, Sonya Halpern, Kim Jackson, Ed Harbison, Nikki Merritt, Derek Mallow, Sheikh Rahman, Gail Davenport, Tonya Anderson, Kenya Wicks - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71414 > The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr410.md?full=1