Union Pacific Railroad will test technology next year that could lead to one-person train crews on its coal route in western Nebraska, writes Stacie Hamel in the Omaha World-Herald.

The prototype would be installed and tested in the South Morrill area, Chairman and Chief Executive Dick Davidson said in an interview Thursday.

The prototype would test global positioning and ground control technology intended to be used with one-person crews, but two-person crews would be used during the tests.

Jim Young, president of U.P.'s railroad, said a prototype is being designed along with one planned jointly for Eastport, Idaho, with the Canadian Pacific Railroad.

U.P. plans to install and test the prototypes in Nebraska and Idaho during the second quarter. A spokesman said the test would run about a year.

The railroad industry began negotiations a year ago with labor unions for the use of one-person crews. Train crews now consist generally of an engineer and a conductor.

The United Transportation Union, which represents most conductors, filed a lawsuit last spring against the major railroads, maintaining that its agreements were not subject to national bargaining and require that every train crew include a conductor.

Frank Wilner, spokesman for the union, said he was not familiar with plans for the prototypes.

"We know the railroads want to achieve one-person operation, but wanting it and having prototypes is a long way in terms of time and money from achieving a level of safety that would satisfy the public's concerns," he
said.

"Given U.P.'s dreadful level of service and safety, it would seem there are more productive uses for their scarce capital investment dollars right now," Wilner said.

Dale McPherson, a national vice president for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, part of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said the union has participated in technology testing with railroads but remains concerned that technology advances be used safely.

"As things appear today, we believe the safest way to operate trains is with two people and with the technology," he said. "It would be good if some of the technology were put in now and would be a definite assist along with the two-person crew."

Even with advanced technology, he said, a two-person crew gives "an additional set of eyes. There's a lot going on out there."

An engineer who is active in the engineers union and works on U.P.'s coal lines between North Platte and South Morrill said the engineers' union isn't doing enough to fight the move to one-person crews.

"How is our union (the BLET) allowing them to do this? Why is our union (the BLET) not standing up? They say we cannot go on strike unless we have a major issue," said Nancy Kohmetscher. "The loss of your job, your livelihood, your family's livelihood should be a major issue that you can make a stand on."

Kohmetscher said she understands the need to test and use developing technology but fears that railroads are cutting so deep that they won't be able to operate trains safely.

"Haven't we gone a little too far with technology? We've gone from train crews of four to one and perhaps none," she said. "They're sacrificing a lot to do this."

Davidson said that if union agreements were in place, the railroad could run one-person crews with the technology now in place. "Honestly, the technology is not what I'd call leading edge," he said. "We want to put in more."

Similar technology already has been tested elsewhere, said Young, the railroad president. "At the end of the day, the engineer will still run the train. You'll have an improvement in the safety device."

Implementing the system would require "a major technology investment" but could take place fairly quickly, Young said. "We would target the areas that would get us the greatest benefits."