Estonian carrier starts single-person operations
Although freight trains have previously always had a driver and assistant in the locomotive cab, Operail saw the first single-person operation last week. This means that all necessary operational procedures and safety were the sole responsibility of the driver.
"This is a very big step towards making railfreight more efficient; it marks an important milestone in our efforts to bring efficiency to the Estonian rail sector," Operail says.
The Estonian carrier began its preparations for the project nearly one and a half years ago. Initially, all the locomotive crew’s activities were mapped, and incidents, technical failures and their causes in recent years were analysed. In the future, Operail plans to introduce single-person operations on all direct trains. (ben)