Help TD End Drones In Rail Yards

For years, railroaders across this country have raised the alarm about the growing use of drones by railroad management inside active rail yards and around moving trains. SMART-TD took those concerns directly to the Federal Aviation Administration last fall, warning that these practices create serious risks, undermine safety culture, and normalize drone activity over some of the nation’s most critical infrastructure.

Now, the FAA has announced a proposed rule that could significantly restrict drone operations around transportation facilities, including rail infrastructure. While this proposal is broader than rail alone, it’s clear that the concerns raised by frontline transportation workers are finally getting attention at the federal level.

This is progress, but the job is not finished. The FAA has opened a public comment period on this proposal through July 5, 2026, and this is the moment for railroad workers to make our voices heard.

The FAA needs to hear from the True Rail Safety Experts: YOU

Many of us have stories about unsafe drone operations by trainmasters or MTO’s who sit on their lawn chairs in the parking lot acting like they are Maverick and Goose. Members have watched trainmasters fly drones through switching operations, over active crews, and around hazardous environments where concentration and communication are critical. Those concerns cannot stay in the break room anymore.

SMART-TD is asking every member who has ever spoken up about these dangers to now tell that same story directly to the FAA. We got the door open, and now we need you to walk through it.

It’s easy to ignore one railroader, but when 100,000 railroad workers speak together, the federal government listens.

Railroaders are the field experts on rail safety in this country. Not consultants. Not corporate safety officers. Not managers standing behind a joystick in their aviator sunglasses.

The men and women working the ground, handling hazardous materials, building trains, and moving freight every day are uniquely qualified to explain what is safe (and what is not) inside America’s rail yards.

How You Can Make Your Voice Heard

You do not need to write a long statement, and it doesn’t have to be poetry.

Tell the FAA:

• Your craft and years of railroad experience.
• That active rail yards are already dangerous enough without drones creating distractions overhead.
• That frontline railroad workers are the true experts on rail safety.
• That drones used for surveillance and operational testing create unnecessary hazards and security concerns.
• That railroad workers deserve to be consulted before these practices are normalized in critical infrastructure environments.
• That normalizing drones flying over the thousands of gallons of hazardous chemicals can’t be allowed to happen, because we won’t know when we are seeing an act of terrorism in progress vs. an MTO trying to conduct O-Tests.
• Tell them your truth about drones in rail yards anyway you see fit.

This is our opportunity to advocate for ourselves and for each other.

SMART-TD has already put these concerns on the record. Now we need the voices of the membership to reaffirm them.

Please Submit your public comment to the FAA here:

Regulations.gov FAA Drones Public Comments

Together, we can finish the job.