The US Government has proposed restrictions on the use of mobilec phones and other hand-held electronic devices by on-duty railroad operators following a summit on distracted driving last year.
The proposal will bar locomotive engineers, conductors, switchmen and other train employees from using electronic devices if they interfere with safety related duties, according to the Associated Press.
US Federal Investigators have found text messages were the prime cause of a deadly rail crash in Chatsworth, California, in September 2008 which killed 25 people.
The proposal excludes the use of other electronic devices such as calculators, medical devices, hearing aids and cameras not interfering with safety duties.
