The Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen has raised concerns with the Federal Railroad Administration regarding an artificial intelligence tool used by BNSF Railway. The union stated that the system, known as AutoRouter, nearly directed a train carrying hazardous materials onto a track occupied by a way worker near Connell, Washington, in June.
According to the union, a human dispatcher identified the error and corrected the signal before any damage occurred. The Brotherhood described the potential outcome as a fatal accident for the worker and a possible major rail disaster.
BNSF acknowledged that the dispatcher observed the issue and correctly adjusted the train's path, but the company stated it was unable to determine the cause of the malfunction at the time.
The union alleged that its members had reported glitches in the system since August 2022. It noted that the June incident was the first time sufficient data was preserved to allow for a proper federal investigation. The Brotherhood also claimed that AutoRouter had recently attempted to line two trains head-on into each other.
Following petitions from multiple labor unions, the Federal Railroad Administration ordered BNSF to disable the tool. The system is currently offline, though BNSF has indicated plans to reactivate it as soon as possible. The company told NonStop Local that it is working on programming fixes and reviewing the incident to determine what additional measures are needed for safe operation.
The Teamsters Rail Conference has proposed an independent third-party engineering review of the incident before the tool returns to service. They emphasized that the reviewing firm should have no financial or operational interest in the system. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen has called for stricter regulations on new technologies, suggesting that such systems should operate in conjunction with traditional testing and established safety rules.
