SMART survey shows voter support for increased passenger rail options and improved safety efforts
Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
SMART TD
The SMART (Internation Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation workers) Transportation Division’s (TD) Missouri State Legislative Board released the results of a survey Nov. 2 revealing Missouri residents strongly support the addition of transportation options and more stringent safety requirements.
The poll also showed state residents were in support of trains being operated with a minimum of two crew members on all trains, without exception.
The majority of residents polled would like to see more passenger rail options made available, with 55 percent of those polled requesting the addition of service to more communities statewide.
Seventy percent of those who participated in the survey showed agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) recently proposed rule that would mandate that most trains operate with at least two crew members, with many saying there should be “no exceptions” to the rule. SMART Transportation Division said just 5 percent of Missourians polled do not believe the FRA should regulate crew size.
“The serious safety risks posed by single-person freight train operations became tragically clear during the summer of 2013, when a runaway oil train barreled into Lac-Megantic, Quebec, destroying half the town and killing 47 people,” said Director of the SMART TD Missouri State Legislative Board Jason Hayden. “Missourians have consistently shown they understand the risk of single-person operators on freight and passenger trains and want to make safety a top priority by requiring all trains in the state to be operated by a crew of at least two people, with no exceptions.”
SMART TD conducted the survey Oct. 27 through Nov. 1. They say 508 random likely 2016 general elections voters were polled via mobile and landline phones by DFM research of St. Paul, Minn.
More details of the survey results can be found here.
