Maine rail operator asks feds to remove safety signal at Rigby Yard

Jun. 21—The freight rail company CSX Transportation wants to remove a safety signal on the approach to Rigby Yard in South Portland, where it recently began moving trains by remote control using a system that workers say is having connectivity issues.

The request to "retire" the signal, which alerts train crews to changing or unsafe track conditions, has raised safety concerns among workers in the yard and people who live in neighborhoods that flank one of the largest and busiest rail facilities in the Northeast.

They say removing the signal, located in Scarborough at the west end of Rigby Yard, would endanger rail workers, nearby residents and passengers on the Amtrak Downeaster, which shares tracks with CSX freight trains.

"It's an accident waiting to happen," said Joyce Mendoza, who lives in Thornton Heights, a neighborhood that developed as home base to many railroad workers after Rigby Yard was built in the 1920s.

Workers say CSX wants to remove the signal in part because it interferes with remote-control operations that began in the yard this month. They say the system has experienced "connectivity issues" likely exacerbated by thick tree cover near the yard and the Route 1/Main Street overpass.

"Without the safety signal at the west end, if the (remote-control system) fails, a train could roll right onto the tracks that the Amtrak Downeaster uses," said Dave Stevenson, a legislative director for the union that represents about 35 conductors and engineers at Rigby Yard. "Any incident within that 3-mile stretch has the potential to obstruct the Amtrak line."

REDUCE RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

Submitted in May, the company's application to the Federal Railroad Administration seeks permission to retire the signal and related track control operations. CSX says the signal is triggered whenever crews pull trains west for headroom, which is needed to switch tracks or move cars. Then, crews must contact the yard dispatcher and request that the signal be cleared.

"Retiring the Rigby West signal would reduce these radio communications, which would allow both dispatchers and train crews to focus on critical operational and safety-related communications in and out of Rigby Yard," the application states.

The application doesn't mention remote-control operations.

Stevenson, with the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, noted that remote-control rail yards have been established successfully in other parts of the U.S. "But the layout of Rigby Yard isn't set up to handle remote-control operations," he said.

A rail worker posted an anonymous response to the application on the federal website.

"I am concerned that removing (the signal) will eliminate the current added protection between switching operations and the high-speed main line that Amtrak uses," the employee wrote. "By eliminating this signal, crews (could) switch freely up to the double-track main line...which could potentially result in a catastrophic event."

The employee explained that removing the signal would expand the perimeter of Rigby Yard and require approaching train crews to contact yard crews from 2 miles away, which would be "practically if not impossible to hear" using hand-held radios.

SAFETY THREAT TO WORKERS AND PUBLIC

The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen and the Maine AFL-CIO joined the opposition, submitting comments by Friday's deadline.

"The current signal is a safety feature that should not be eliminated just because it is not in line with a new (remote-control) operational preference or because there is a desire to eliminate a worker and reduce labor costs," said Adam Goode, the AFL-CIO's legislative director.

Goode said the union supports remote-control operations when they can be implemented responsibly, but removing the signal at Rigby Yard "is nothing more than a way to cut corners that will limit the safety of rail workers and the public."

Opponents said they have contacted U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, for assistance in preserving the signal.

"We're closely monitoring the Federal Railroad Administration's review of CSX's petition," Pingree said Friday in an emailed statement. "It's essential that any changes to rail operations uphold the highest safety standards to protect workers, passengers and surrounding neighborhoods."

Safety is the company's top priority, CSX spokesperson Austin Staton said Friday. Applying to remove the signal is part of an effort to streamline operations and reduce redundant radio communications between crews and dispatchers, Staton said.

"No changes will be made unless the (administration) determines they meet all federal safety standards," Staton said in an emailed statement. "We are fully aligned with the (administration's) oversight and remain committed to protecting our employees, the surrounding community and passenger rail service."

Representatives of the Federal Railroad Administration and the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which operates the Downeaster, didn't respond to requests for interviews or written comments.

One year ago, CSX and Amtrak officials announced plans to install so-called "positive train control" technology along more than 100 miles of track between Brunswick and Haverhill, Massachusetts. Amtrak would kick in $50 million for the project and CSX would do the work.

The advanced safety system would anticipate and automatically slow or stop trains to avoid collisions, derailments, unauthorized movements into work zones, misaligned track switches and other problems. They said the system, which uses sensors and GPS technology, would be installed in early 2026 and create "opportunities for potential increases in Downeaster frequencies," the website says.

Rail officials had determined in 2018 that the advanced safety technology wasn't necessary because the Downeaster made fewer than 12 trips per day. The train makes five round trips daily between Brunswick and Boston.

The Maine Department of Transportation's state rail plan calls for "(increasing) rail capacity and trackage at Rigby Yard in South Portland to reduce congestion" by 2026, but it provides no numbers for its current or future use.

When it was built, Rigby Yard had the capacity to hold as many as 2,000 rail cars.

Mendoza, who lives near Rigby Yard, said she believes the ultimate goal is to run trains entirely by remote control — without any conductors or engineers aboard. She worries what that might mean for people who live and work nearby.

"These trains are carrying volatile and hazardous materials," she said. "We're in the blast zone. Anything that reduces the safety of the yard is a great concern for us."

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