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Mookie- While you maybe correct from an engineering standpoint that a robot train (computer controlled) or a remote controlled (by a human) train could handle crossings (i.e. blow horn, ring bell and use ditchlights, I doubt you will get beyond the public's desire for human involvement in their safety. Machines are notoriously poor in making quick decisions, at least as they exist today. Humans distant from the situation with much less information than an Engineer in the cab (even with TV cameras, GPS, and other sensors on the locomotive). The costs of getting the ROW to a standard permitting such operation will be very high indeed and with railroads already having great difficulty in attracting adequate capital investment, where will funding come from? Cost reductions from crew elimination will be offset to some degree by the costs of the new technology and of upgrading communications systems. This will still leave a substantial cost to be borne by the taxpayer or the railroads customers who are unlikely to be willing to pay the railroads more for their internal efficiencies. For example, the ACELA does operate at very high speeds (100-125 mph) and although there is at least one public crossing on the NEC the number of public grade crossings was greatly reduced by grade separations and road closures prior to the ACELA related rebuild of the NEC. This work is very expensive. Each state has programs for crossing closure. Even with these programs in place and efforts aimed at removing crossings, public and private it is extremely difficult. Just a couple days ago CSX announced it was backing away from a very public effort to close private crossings along its lines in VA as a result of heavy political opposition. I would expect that the public will demand similar safeguards as a minimum for any significant use of longer distance remote or robot type operations. Further, just imagine the resistance of all the unions involved and their allies in Congress. With the BLE looking like it will merge with the Teamsters I would expect very strong opposition. The unions were successful in prolonging the removal of firemen and the caboose for decades, even after the technology was widely available for diesel electric locomotivesd and EOTDs... As an employee I feel secure in the knowledge that this stuff is unlikely to take hold on my watch. But, then I have less than 16 years to go... LC
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