FRA Seeks Tougher English Standards for Mexican Rail Crews

The Federal Railroad Administration has proposed rules requiring Mexican train crews crossing into the US to demonstrate English proficiency. The proposal follows inspections at Texas rail yards that found communication problems and limits foreign crews to operating 10 miles inside the US. The rule also strengthens crew certification tests by prohibiting automated train-control systems during evaluations, a provision supported by two major rail unions. The Trump administration aims to protect safety and US jobs, ensuring that Mexican train crews can understand key safety information in English. Inspections at Union Pacific and CPKC rail yards near the border found that train crews often had trouble understanding English, prompting the government to urge the railroads to re-examine their practices. The proposed rule aligns with the Transportation Department’s efforts to ensure that truck drivers can understand English, and has been praised by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union and the SMART-TD union. The rule is intended to prevent the railroads from expanding the practice of using Mexican train crews to railyards further into the US, and to ensure that railroad certifications represent proven ability, not just possession of a certificate.