September 22, 2026
CLEVELAND, OH – As Rail Safety Week 2026 is observed across the country, the American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) is renewing its call for stronger federal oversight and testing of the computer systems used to dispatch trains across the nation’s railroads.
Train dispatchers make safety-critical decisions around the clock, relying on software-based systems to monitor train movements, identify potential conflicts and safely manage railroad operations. Yet ATDA has repeatedly documented serious software failures and raised concerns with federal regulators about whether current testing and oversight are sufficient for the technology entrusted with such a critical safety function.
“Rail Safety Week is about preventing tragedies and reducing avoidable incidents,” ATDA President Ed Dowell said. “That commitment must extend to the systems responsible for helping control the movement of trains. Our members should not have to contend with software that lags, freezes or experiences serious failures while they are making safety-critical decisions. Railroad workers and the public deserve dispatching systems that have been thoroughly tested, properly overseen and proven reliable.”
This Rail Safety Week, ATDA calls on Congress to advance H.R. 8410, the Safe Tracks Act, and on the Federal Railroad Administration to continue investigating such dispatch system failures and take meaningful action to address them. The time to address these safety concerns is before a system failure contributes to a preventable tragedy, not after.
