{"id":463502,"date":"2025-04-25T05:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/?p=463502"},"modified":"2025-04-24T18:13:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T01:13:15","slug":"california-freight-trains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/_ko\/politics\/2025\/04\/california-freight-trains\/","title":{"rendered":"California railroads: Unions push to shorten trains, but companies warn of higher costs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

\uc694\uc57d\ud574\uc11c<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

Unions are pushing for shorter freight trains to make railways safer, but that could raise the cost of goods and delay passenger rail service. It also may not be legal.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n

If California\u2019s politically influential labor unions get their way, the state\u2019s freight trains would get shorter and potentially safer under a pending legislative proposal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But some Democratic lawmakers fear the measure could raise the price of goods in high-cost California, running counter to legislative leaders\u2019 pledge <\/a>to bring down the cost of living. They also worry that the need to run freight trains more frequently could cause delays for struggling passenger trains that rely on the same tracks and are frequently delayed by freight trains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To top it off, independent experts, including those who work for the Legislature, say the measure almost certainly isn\u2019t legal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, Norwalk Democratic Sen. \ubc25 \uc544\ucd9c\ub808\ud0c0<\/a>\u2019s Senate Bill 667<\/a> passed its first committee hearing this week without a single Democrat casting a \u201cno\u201d vote.

It\u2019s the latest example of a flawed bill advancing through the Legislature due to Democrats\u2019 reluctance to kill their colleagues\u2019 measures in public<\/a>, particularly when it means bucking the demands of influential organizations such as organized labor.

Archuleta\u2019s bill is a response to the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio<\/a> that forced thousands of residents to evacuate when toxic chemicals spilled and the train\u2019s cars caught fire. Investigators blamed the derailment on an overheated wheel bearing that was not detected early enough by monitoring systems along the track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is backing the measure, citing recent research<\/a> showing that shorter trains are less likely to come off their tracks, an assertion railroad companies dispute. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have had two recent scientific studies that confirm what railroad workers have known for years,\u201d Ryan Snow, a representative for the union, told the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee<\/a>. \u201cLonger trains create greater safety risks.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Archuleta\u2019s proposal, the maximum length of a freight train in California would be capped at 7,500 feet, about 125 60-foot-long rail cars. The train that derailed in East Palestine in 2023 was 151 cars and 9,300 feet long<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The measure also would require railroads to install \u201cwayside detectors\u201d every 10 to 15 miles that search for signs of train equipment failure, such as overheated wheel bearings. Freight trains wouldn\u2019t be allowed to travel more than 10 mph on tracks without the sensors. It also would prohibit trains from blocking rail crossings to ensure that emergency vehicles can pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rail companies would face fines of up to $25,000 per violation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Many states have wanted to regulate train length’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Experts say the proposal has a major problem: It\u2019s illegal under federal law, which gives the U.S. government the final say on regulating railroads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFederal and state courts have consistently preempted state statutes aimed at limiting train lengths and blocked crossings despite the absence of federal regulations addressing these issues,\u201d reads the bill\u2019s analysis written by the committee\u2019s staff. \u201cIn some cases, the courts have deferred to the federal government\u2019s broad authority over interstate commerce.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, if the measure were to be signed into law, it almost certainly wouldn\u2019t survive a legal challenge, said Professor Roger Nober, director of the Regulatory Studies Center at George Washington University. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany states have wanted to regulate train length or block crossings, and I certainly understand the frustration that would lead the states to want to do that,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cBut that is a federal responsibility. It is pretty clear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other unions supporting the bill include the California Professional Firefighters, the California School Employees Association and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. In total, those three unions have donated at least $9.4 million to legislators since 2015, according to the Digital Democracy database<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have a staunch ally in Archuleta, who has voted with the unions\u2019 positions on bills more than 90% of the time, according to Digital Democracy.

\u201cWe\u2019re here to save lives and keep the trains moving, but do it productively and do it with the dignity of the workers that are here,\u201d he told the committee<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least two dozen shipping, agricultural, timber and building groups oppose the bill, along with the California Chamber of Commerce. In total, the opponents have given at least $10.2 million to lawmakers since 2015, according to Digital Democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Train industry officials also oppose it. They say the regulations aren\u2019t needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent advances in computer modeling, including a \u201clearning physics engine that simulates every train on our network\u201d and other technologies have reduced the number of derailments and other safety problems, said David O\u2019Hara<\/a>, an official at Union Pacific Railroad, at the hearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A freight train moves along tracks in front of wind turbines as wind gusts fill the air with dust near Palm Springs, on Sept. 3, 2023. Photo by David McNew, Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shortening trains cuts into railroad companies\u2019 bottom lines, Joseph Towers, a rail industry analyst with FTR Transportation Intelligence<\/a>, told CalMatters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrains get longer because you\u2019re able to pull the same amount of freight with fewer resources,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to have less engines, less crew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The measure also comes at a particularly uncertain time for California\u2019s 5,000-mile railway network that hauls more than 5.5 million rail car loads of goods<\/a> each year and employs several thousand workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Towers said President Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs, especially on Chinese imports coming into California ports, could dramatically reduce the amount of freight trains will haul. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it comes to train shipping, there\u2019s going to be less freight on rail that can be attributed to those international \u2026 imports arriving on the West Coast,\u201d Towers said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longer delays for passenger trains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The four Republicans on the committee voted against the measure and all 12 of the committee\u2019s Democrats that were present voted for it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, some Democrats who voted said they wanted Archuleta to amend the bill to address concerns about consumer costs, public transportation and its obvious legal problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The committee\u2019s chair, Sen. Josh Becker<\/a> of Menlo Park, said he has \u201csome concerns about the federal preemption issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also urged Archuleta<\/a> \u201cto make sure our efforts to improve safety do not result in the kind of good movement (restrictions) and price spikes that we saw happen and hit consumers during the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\uc13c. Ben Allen<\/a>, who represents the El Segundo area, was worried after listening to testimony from Stacey Mortensen. She oversees Amtrak and ACE passenger train service in the San Joaquin Valley and the Bay Area on tracks managed primarily for freight haulers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiven that we run on a freight rail line, any requirements that are passed on to them have a ripple effect that end up affecting the end user,\u201d she said<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increasing train ridership<\/a> is a key part of California\u2019s ambitious strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allen said that California\u2019s \u201csubpar\u201d passenger train network already has difficulty attracting riders because of logistical problems caused by freight trains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a beautiful train network around the state, and yet it can be such an unpleasant experience when you\u2019re stuck behind freight rail,\u201d he told the committee<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite their concerns, both Becker and Allen voted to keep the train bill chugging along to its next stop, the Senate Transportation Committee, where the measure will be heard on Monday. <\/p>\n\n\n\t\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\ub354 \ubcf4\uae30<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"How\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

How Gavin Newsom is balancing the fight against Trump with Los Angeles fire relief<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Special\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Special interests poured more than half a billion into California lobbying last year<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t