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FRA_logo_wordsWASHINGTON – The U. S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) June 27 issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the 114-mile Fresno to Bakersfield Section of the California High-Speed Train System. The ROD is the last step in the National Environmental Policy Act process and clears the way to break ground on the project.

“This represents a major step forward, both for the State of California and for High Performance rail in the U.S.,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “It will create jobs, provide travelers with new options, and improve connectivity up and down the West Coast. This project is an important example of our commitment to investing in modernizing our rail infrastructure to meet growing market demand.”

The California High-Speed Train System will provide a reliable high-speed electric-powered train system that links the major metropolitan areas of California, delivering predictable and consistent travel times that are competitive with air and highway travel. It will also provide connectivity to commercial airports, mass transit systems, and the highway network; and help alleviate capacity constraints of the existing transportation system as increases in intercity travel demand in California occur, in a manner sensitive to and protective of California’s unique natural resources.

In its ROD, the FRA selects the preferred alternative outlined in its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), which was issued earlier this year. The preferred alternative is comprised of the alignment alternative adjacent to the BNSF Railway bypasses of Corcoran, the Allensworth area, and the Bakersfield Hybrid alternative. The preferred alternative includes a Downtown Fresno Station, a Kings/Tulare regional station, and a downtown Bakersfield station. FRA selected this combination of route alignments because they are more compatible with the long-range development planning goals of the region, and will result in fewer potential impacts on wetlands and special-status species habitat. The alignment will also reduce displacements and result in fewer impacts to religious facilities when compared to the other alignment alternatives.

FRA’s decision reflects the balancing of multiple considerations including environmental, technical, economic, operational, as well as community and stakeholder input. Between March 2007 and March 2014, more than 900 meetings in the Project area were held as part of the California High Speed Rail Authority (Authority) and FRA’s outreach efforts. The public summited more than 2200 written comment letters and verbal comments at public hearings in response to the 2011 Draft EIR/EIS and the 2012 Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS. The ROD also includes a Mitigation Monitoring and Enforcement Plan that describes measures the Authority must implement as part of the project to reduce, avoid, and minimize potential adverse environmental impacts.

“This ROD represents a major milestone in the planning process, which included a rigorous analysis that thoroughly incorporated public input to recommend these routes,” said FRA Administrator Joseph C. Szabo. “Public feedback is an essential component of the environmental review process and we relied upon it heavily while conducting this review.”

DOT’s historic investment in the California High Speed Train System through funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) reflects the importance of investing in the modernization of our nation’s rail system.

The GROW AMERICA Act, or Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Communities throughout America Act, will further advance this goal by providing for predictable, dedicated investments that enhance safety and modernize our rail infrastructure to meet growing market demand, while promoting innovation and ensuring transparency and accountability. The Act will invest $19 billion over four years to improve rail safety and invest in a National High-Performance Rail System, as states and local communities need the certainty of sustained funding to make the transportation investments necessary to improve our infrastructure and support our economic growth.

A copy of the ROD can be found here.

SMART Transportation Division Pennsylvania State Legislative Director Paul Pokrowka is asking members and their families in the state to contact their representatives in the state House of Representatives and ask for their support of House Bill 2345.
The Pennsylvania Greenhouse Gas Regulation Implementation Act will require the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to receive approval from the general assembly for plans to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing sources prior to submitting the plan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval.
“This measure is very important to our members due to the amount of coal we haul. Forty percent of all cars hauled here are coal cars,” Pokrowka said. “Twenty-five percent of railroad revenue comes from coal and 20 percent of all freight jobs involve hauling coal. We are asking that the general assembly have some input before the plan is submitted to the EPA. It will also increase electricity reliability and contain energy costs.”
Pokrowka said State Rep. Pam Snyder (D-Dist. 50) is the prime sponsor of the legislation and that she has asked SMART members for their help.
To contact your state representative, visit Pennsylvania House of Representative’s website and click on the representative of your district. Click on the envelope icon above “Contact Information” to send an email message or call his or her office at the telephone number provided. Ask your representative to support H.B. 2345.
View the complete text of the bill here.

On Saturday June 21, more than 3,000 unionized Long Island Rail Road workers and their supporters rallied for a new contract Saturday, June 21, demonstrating their resolve in achieving the recommendations of Presidential Emergency Board 245.
Union officials from a variety of crafts, as well as local, state and national political figures joined them.
SMART’s coalition partners include the Transportation Communications Union, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers-Service Employees International Union. All organizations were well represented at the event.

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Speakers called upon New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to intervene in the workers’ months-long dispute with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the LIRR. The SMART Transportation Division members and others unionized employees have been working under an contract since June 2010. SMART members and the other unions can strike on July 19 under provisions of the Railway Labor Act, but have asked MTA to extend a 60-day cooling off period into September.
“The governor needs to step up, tell the MTA to wake up and extend this cooling off period, so we don’t have a crushing blow to the economy of eastern Long Island,” said SMART Transportation Division GO 505 General Chairperson Anthony Simon.
Organizers were expecting about 2,000 people to attend the rally, but noted that they had exhausted their supply of rally T-shirts hours before the rally began.
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“We had awesome turnout,” Simon said. “The sign-in sheet stopped at 2,300 and people just kept coming, more than 3,000.”
SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich said he was amazed by the turnout. “It was great to see so many union members and others supporting our membership on the LIRR. From the beginning of this long and arduous process, we have informed the MTA that we will not settle for anything less than the fair agreement that our members deserve.
“We have made our intentions very clear – we will not agree to the substandard contract that they are trying to force on us and the members of our coalition. This show of solidarity will send a message to MTA and the governor that our members and the union coalition are standing firm in our resolve to not settle for less than the fair and respectful contract to which our members are entitled.”
Besides SMART General President Joe Nigro and Secretary-Treasurer Joe Sellers, the rally was attended by Transportation Communications Union President Robert Scardelletti and Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen President Dan Pickett.
“If Gov. Cuomo doesn’t intervene, union members will be waiting for him in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada,” Nigro said. “We will only stand with politicians who stand with working families.”
Also attending and offering their support were U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Dist. 1), State Sens. John J. Flanagan (R-Dist. 2) and Carl L. Marcellino (R-Dist. 5), Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Town of Babylon Supervisor Richard Schaffer.
Addressing the rally attendees, Bishop said, “They’re not looking for a giveaway, they’re not looking for a handout, they just want to let the collective bargaining process work. The unions have made it very clear that they would accept the results of (PEB 245’s) rulings. The MTA refuses to accept those. We’ve got to move forward here.”
“Suffolk County is here to stand with you,” Bellone said.
Bishop also presented a letter to MTA Chairman Thomas F. Prendergast from a bipartisan group of congresspersons whose constituents would be affected by a work stoppage. It was signed U.S. Reps. Peter King (R-Dist. 2), Steve Israel (D-Dist. 3), Carolyn McCarthy (D-Dist. 4), Gregory W. Meeks (D-Dist. 5), Grace Meng (D-Dist. 6), Hakeem Jeffries (D-Dist. 8), Jerrold Nadler (D-Dist. 10), Carolyn Maloney (D-Dist. 12), Joseph Crowley (D-Dist. 14) and Bishop.
It read in part: “As members of Congress representing districts that would be unduly impacted by any disruption of Long Island Railroad (LIRR) service, we are writing to express our concern regarding the ongoing labor dispute between the MTA and LIRR employee labor unions. We encourage the MTA to accept a proposal from the involved employee labor unions to extend the current “cooling off” period for an additional 60 days.”
Show your support here: http://www.keeplongislandmoving.net.
New York State residents can contact Gov. Andrew Cuomo here to ask him to do what’s right for Long Islanders.

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A hostile bargaining session between the MTA and Long Island Rail Road labor leaders broke off in less than two hours early Friday with no deal in place and union officials saying a July 20 strike is more likely than ever.

“Here we go,” Christopher Natale, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, said after leaving the bargaining session, which lasted about 90 minutes. “Unless something happens at the eleventh hour, we’re preparing for a strike.”

Read the complete story at Newsday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) June 27 announced that 8,000 more health professionals have been added to the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) since the new system for USDOT medical examinations launched last month with 22,000 providers.

Another 22,500 medical professionals have also initiated the process for gaining their certification. All interstate commercial truck and bus drivers must pass a USDOT medical examination at least once every two years in order to obtain a valid medical certificate and maintain their commercial driver’s license (CDL).

As required by federal regulation, effective May 21, 2014, all new USDOT medical examinations for interstate truck and bus drivers (both CDL and non-CDL drivers) are required to be performed by a medical examiner who has completed the required training and passed a certification test.

The USDOT medical examination looks at a range of conditions to assess a driver’s ability to safely operate a commercial vehicle, including cardiovascular disease, respiratory and muscular functions, vision, and hearing. To meet the needs of professional drivers throughout the country, there are certified examiners in every state, and dozens or hundreds in most cities that can be located by visiting http://nrcme.fmcsa.dot.gov/.

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The Charlotte Area Transit System projects that building a commuter train to Lake Norman would cost $215 million more than expected – a price hike that will likely make it too costly to build.

CATS had long planned to use Norfolk Southern freight tracks that parallel Interstate 77 for the Red Line passenger train. It would connect Charlotte with Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson and Mooresville.

Read the complete  story at the Lake Wylie Pilot.

Great Lakes Airlines, the sole commercial carrier servicing Cortez, soars across blue skies in the red.

Servicing 30 airports across nine states, the Cheyenne-based regional airline reported a total net loss of more than $4.2 million at the close of the first quarter this year, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission report. Company filings with the SEC also reveal that Great Lakes was in breach of a $24 million loan at the end of March.

Read the complete story at The Cortez Journal.

The June 2014 issue of the SMART Transportation Division News will be published following the proceedings of the First SMART Transportation Division Convention June 30-July 2.

Publishing the newspaper after the convention will allow the Transportation Division to provide its members and readers with fresh and updated coverage of the convention proceedings.

The combined July/August issue of the newspaper will be published following the proceedings of the First SMART Convention in August.

The MTA’s decision to publicize its newest contract offer to LIRR workers — who are threatening a strike next month — has union leaders considering whether to ditch a new round of negotiations set for Friday.

Anthony Simon, a spokesman for a coalition of Long Island Rail Road unions, which can legally strike as early as July 20, faulted the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for releasing to the media details of its proposal before the planned talks.

Read the complete story at the New York Dail News.

Former “Survivor: Blood vs. Water” contestant Caleb Bankston died on Tuesday, June 24, following a railway accident, reports People magazine.

The 26-year-old worked as a locomotive engineer/conductor at the Alabama Warrior Railway in Birmingham, and was working on one of the trains when it derailed, killing him. At this time it is still unclear as to what caused the train’s derailment, but OSHA and the Federal Railroad Administration have been contacted, reports TMZ.

Read the complete story at The Huffington Post.