Cleveland, Ohio – On 3/27/2024, ATDA President Ed Dowell submitted a letter to FRA Administrator Amit Bose regarding the discovery of a critical defect within the BNSF Railroad’s Auto Router software. The defect, which was acknowledged by BNSF on 3/26/2024, and led to the Railroad removing the system from service across its entire network, misrepresented the position of track switches on Train Dispatcher display screens. This created potential for major train accidents, if Dispatchers were to unknowingly authorize train movement over the misaligned switches.
In his letter to the FRA, Dowell pointed out that BNSF had first knowledge of the defect as early as Fall of 2023, in scrutinizing the lengthy process which took several months before resulting in the system’s removal from service. In calling for increased FRA oversight, Dowell said, “ATDA believes strongly that all software used by train dispatchers that affects the safe movement of trains and on-track equipment should be required to be tested and certified safe by the FRA. The Current practice by railroads to implement and utilize these safety critical technologies without being thoroughly vetted is unacceptable. We cannot continue to allow the safety of our communities to be left in the hands of railroads.”
Read Dowell’s letter to the FRA and BNSF’s System Notice #75.