The BLET is opposing a Norfolk Southern request to waive safety standards governing refresher training for its transportation employees. BLET National President Mark Wallace filed formal comments in a June 29 letter to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
As stated in the letter’s comments, BLET’s concern is that NS failed to provide specific data in its waiver request that would prove the effectiveness of its proposed virtual training program, which would reduce in-person training and rely more heavily on web-based or desktop software-based training.
“Without an opportunity to review this training, and without any data whatsoever to prove that this training provides an equivalent level of safety to in-person training, we maintain our position that this waiver should be denied,” wrote President Wallace. “We encourage railroads to use alternative forms of training in addition to the required in-person training. We support the use of technology as a supplement, not a replacement to traditional training methods. As the NS has clearly demonstrated here, there simply is no evidence to show that it provides an equivalent level of safety.”
In 2022, the FRA denied a similar waiver request and asked NS to provide additional data to support its claims. Regarding the railroad’s 2026 waiver request, BLET argues that NS merely provides unsubstantiated claims as opposed to quantifiable data.
Read BLET’s full submission to the FRA here (PDF) on the BLET National Division website.
Photo by Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659