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Joseph E. Kight, 71, of Jacksonville, Fla., died Monday, August 3 at Baptist Medical Center. Kight (L-903 of Jacksonville, Fla.) was a retired Florida East Coast Railway engineer. He retired in April of 2007. He had served as assistant general chairperson (GCA GO-851). He was first admitted to SMART TD (formerly The United Transportation Union) on May 1, 1994. He is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Judy Kight of Jacksonville, Fla., his children Stacie (Jacob) Wyss and Joseph Bubba (Barbara) Kight both of Jacksonville, Fla., brother, Gene Pyle (Ruth) Kight of Lake City, Fla., five grandchildren, Conner, Clayton, Fenwick, Kayla, and Kennedy. A graveside service will be held at Arlington Memorial Park on Saturday, August 8, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. with Minister Jim Bird officiating. The arrangements are under the care and direction of V. Todd Ferreira Funeral Services, 250 North Lowder Street, Macclenny, FL 32063, (904) 259-5700.

Tags Joseph Kight, obituary

Washington D.C., Aug. 6, 2015 – Association of American Railroads (AAR) President and CEO, Edward R. Hamberger today congratulated Marie Therese Dominguez on being confirmed as Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

“On behalf of America’s freight rail industry, we congratulate Ms. Dominguez on her confirmation and we look forward to working with her on the ongoing focus on safety that is of significant importance to the nation’s freight railroads,” said Hamberger.

About AAR: The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the world’s leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the safety and productivity of rail carriers. AAR members include the major freight railroads of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, as well as Amtrak. Learn more at www.aar.org. Follow us on Twitter: AAR_FreightRail or Facebook:www.facebook.com/freightrail.

For more information contact: AAR media relations at media@aar.org or 202-639-2345.

Railroads and other industry stakeholders must deploy new technology to combat rail safety accidents, according to a report released today by the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure.

Titled “Back on Track: Bringing Rail Safety into the 21st Century,” the report examines the nation’s aging rail infrastructure and highlights current deficiencies in the rail system.

Using government data, the report’s authors found that about 73 percent of all derailments between 2011 and 2014 were the result of faulty track integrity and human error. Such incidents are likely to continue to occur unless those issues are addressed, according to the report.

Read more from NorthJersey.com.

Tags oil by rail, safety

Last month at NHTSA, we brought together many of our safety partners to discuss how we might better protect children when they ride school buses.

Today, thankfully, school buses are the safest way for children to get around. On average each year, four school-age children lost their lives in bus crashes from 2000 to 2012. Contrast that with the 490 school-age children killed in passenger vehicle crashes over that same time period and you begin to understand why parents can feel confident in their children’s safety when they get on the big yellow bus.

That said, NHTSA doesn’t accept that we have to lose any children in school bus tragedies—not a single one—and we brought experts together to ask tough questions about whether –and how– we can make school bus travel even safer.

As you might have guessed, one of the first questions many parents ask is, “Why aren’t there seat belts on school buses?”

And, although school bus design and school bus seats provide compartmentalized protection, we want to continue asking the questions that parents are asking about seat belts while also pursuing other promising avenues toward greater safety.

We began our day with presentations from NHTSA about school bus activities from Dr. Shashi Kuppa, followed by Dr. Kris Poland of the National Transportation Safety Board. We were also joined by representatives from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, the National School Transportation Association, and local school transportation directors.

At the end of the day, it was clear that loading zone safety, seat belt usage, and distraction all play a role in the overall safety of student transportation.

With the information gathered from this meeting, the NHTSA team will be able to identify operational and policy challenges and solutions, and explore innovative funding approaches that could serve as a catalyst for change in the coming months.

While current data do establish the relative safety of school buses, our children aren’t data points. That’s why we’ve made the safety of the big yellow buses that bring them to and from school each day our priority today at NHTSA.

School buses are safe; we can make them safer.

Tags DOT, nhtsa, school bus safety

In light of the recent furloughs by BNSF and Union Pacific railroads, and since many locals are experiencing difficulty reaching the members who have been furloughed and dislocated, the SMART TD Minnesota State Legislative Board is hosting, in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Education and Economic Development (MN DEED) a free informational meeting to assist those furloughed workers on Monday, August 17, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. in the Minneapolis United Labor Center, Room 218 (located at 312 Central Avenue, S. E., Room 218, Minneapolis, MN 55414). Parking is free.

MN DEED will be offering many free services at the meeting including: emergency assistance (mortgage help) for those who need it, job training, job counseling, help with updating your computer skills and much more.

The Minneapolis Labor Center is also the location of your SMART TD Minn. Legislative Board. The board has activated the Brakemen’s Register with the names of SMART TD members who are looking for work. If you have been impacted by these furloughs, it is highly recommended that you consider attending this meeting.

Tags BNSF, furlough, Minnesota Department of Education and Economic Development, Minnesota Legislative Board, MN DEED, UP

Ryan D. Edwards, 27, of Schererville, Ind. was fatally injured July 25 while performing switching operations at Canadian National Markham Yard in Homewood, Ill. Edwards (Local 1299 of Schererville, Ind.) hired out in August of 2011.

Throughout his carer with the railroad, Edwards worked as an intermodal operator at BNSF and as a freight train conductor at both CSX and CN. While at CSX, Edwards graduated number one from his training class.

Edwards attended Columbia College in Chicago. He was an avid St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan and could often be seen wearing a Cardinals hat. Edwards married his wife, Victoria, May 22, 2010 and welcomed her two children, Edward and Emily, as his own. They later welcomed his son Ryan “RJ” into their family. He loved his family tremendously.

Edwards leaves behind wife, Victoria; their three children Emily, Edward and Ryan; his parents Nicole and John; his siblings Scottie, Tyra and Joshua; his great grandmother; grandparents and many other friends and family.

SMART TD General Chairperson Adren Crawford (Canadian National GO 433) reports, “The NTSB is investigating along with the SMART TD National Safety Team. No details of the incident have been released. Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.”

Visitation was Saturday, August 1 from 9:30 a.m. until time of service at 10:30 a.m. at the Salem Lutheran Church located at 18400 South Ashland Ave., Homewood, IL. Interment followed at Assumption Cemetery in Glenwood, Ill.

Click here to leave condolences for the family, click here to view Edwards’ official obituary.

Tags Adren Crawford, Canadian National, CN, fatality, National Safety Team, Ryan D. Edwards, Ryan Edwards

capitol Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to delay a year-end deadline for railroads to install automatic speed control equipment that would have averted a fatal Amtrak crash several months ago.

The Senate passed $350 billion legislation to renew federal highway and rail programs for six years, 65-34, but the measure gives railroads another three years to install positive train control. The absence of such equipment along the Northeast Corridor was blamed for the May 13 fatal derailment of a speeding Amtrak train in Philadelphia.