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Proulx
Proulx

Retired UTU Vice President Real-Jean Proulx, 91, died March 21, 2015 in Gatineau, Quebec.

Proulx was a flight sergeant of the 6th Canadian Bomber Group of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

After his military career, Proulx went to work for Canadian National Railway running trades. He soon became active in United Transportation Union Local 1139 (Montreal, Que.), rose through the ranks and was elected Vice President at the 1983 convention. Proulx was passionate about the defense of workers’ rights and was well respected on both sides of the bargaining table. After he retired, Proulx became a member of the UTU Alumni Association.

During his retirement, Proulx continued to serve in numerous associations and pension boards. He enjoyed reading, golfing, hunting and fishing.

Proulx is survived by his wife of 67 years Jacqueline, son Michael, daughter Suzanne, grandson Simon, granddaughters Karen and Christine, great-grandson Rylan and Cameron, great-granddaughters Abbey and Zoey, and many others.

Memorial contributions may be made to the La maison Mathieu Froment-Savoie, 170 Rue Sherbrooke, Gatineau, QC J8Y 2L6, Canada or to The Salvation Army, Territorial Headquarters for Canada and Bermuda, 2 Overlea Blvd., Toronto, ON M4H 1P4, Canada.

Click here to leave condolences for the family.

FTA is undertaking an effort to speed up planning, approval and delivery of FTA capital investments and better support innovative financing methods FTAlogothat support capital investments in transit. The multi-faceted Expedited Public Transportation Improvement (XPEDITE) Initiative will enhance and increase the transit industry’s access to:

  • Improved public transportation technologies;
  • Proven methods to speed up planning, development, approval and delivery of FTA supported capital investments; and
  • Enhanced financing methods and opportunities for public-private partnerships through “value capture” that support improved capital project delivery.

To gather public comment on the initiative, FTA will launch an Online Dialogue on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 that will run through October 16, 2015. The dialogue will be free, open to all and accessible 24/7. Tell the agency what you think should be part of XPEDITE.

Preview the dialogue here. You will not be able to participate until the session launches at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Who Should Participate?

The dialogue is open to the general public but the topic of XPEDITE might be particularly interesting to:

  • State agency personnel
  • MPOs
  • Local government staff
  • Transit agencies
  • Non-profits and transit advocacy groups
  • Private sector groups or individuals interested in transit

Why Participate?

We do not have all the answers! FTA wants to hear from the transit industry and others interested in public transportation on ways to improve program delivery. FTA will consider the comments received through the Online Dialogue as it updates its administrative requirements. If necessary, FTA will propose changes in those requirements through its normal Notice and Comment processes to help expedite program delivery.

FTA will provide a list of questions and subjects to which we seek comments, but it’s important that you tell us any other issues to be considered as we work on XPEDITE. No one knows the challenges faced by transit providers better than those working every day to keep America moving, so please share your insights with us!

Once the online dialogue has closed, you may request a report listing all comments and suggestions, and to see which ideas were most popular with those who commented.

How Can I Participate?

Give us an idea, comment/vote on someone else’s idea, or submit your own comment. We suggested questions that can guide your initial thoughts, but any feedback on this initiative is welcome.

Register online as an individual or a provider at any time. Once registered, you may add your recommendations, observations, vote on others’ comments, and add your comments to other posts. Your posts will be attributed to the user name you create when you register.

By DOT Assistant Secretary Greg Winfree

DOT_Logo_150pxIt’s no secret that freight rail and rail transit services are growing. With transit ridership breaking records year after year and expanded domestic fuel production putting more energy freight on the network, the rail industry in North America just continues to grow. This growing demand for rail services is exactly why the new Research and Innovation Laboratory (RAIL) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Rail Tech and Engineering Center (RailTEC) is so important.

Last month, I had the pleasure of touring the new lab and helping celebrate its official opening.  There’s no question that this world-class facility –funded by DOT’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, the Federal Railroad Administration, railroads, and rail industry suppliers– underscores RailTEC’s status as a national leader for rail transportation research and innovation.

DOT’s University Transportation Centers (UTC) program supports critical transportation research at competitively selected colleges and universities like Illinois around the country. As the lead UTC for rail research, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign works with rail industry leaders and state organizations to ensure that the research and curriculum continue to be relevant and timely.

The Research and Innovation Laboratory makes another powerful argument for why every dollar spent on priority transportation research ultimately pays huge dividends.  Cutting edge technologies like the Track Loading System and Rapid Component Degradation System housed in RAIL give researchers state of the art tools for developing safer and more resilient track designs while informing industry standards and best practices.

As impressed as I was by the technologies housed in the RAIL facility, I was even more impressed by the people I met along the way. The students and faculty of RailTEC bring innovative ideas and a tireless commitment to making rail transportation an even stronger force for enduring economic prosperity—and a more environmentally sustainable transportation network for freight and people.

 Rail is one of the fundamental reasons why the United States became a global economic power in the 19th and 20th centuries. Rail transportation remains critical to American industry; countless businesses depend on our nation’s 140,000-mile freight rail network to keep their supply chains moving safely and efficiently. So, ensuring the safety and vitality of our rail network is essential to remaining competitive in the global economy of the 21st Century.

The University of Illinois’s Rail and Innovation Laboratory is exactly what this country needs to prepare for the future.

safety_signA push for stiffer hazardous chemical rail transportation standards was made Wednesday, Sept. 2 near the site of a train accident that caused the largest evacuation in Ohio history.

Local officials — recalling the 1986 Miamisburg train derailment — joined Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, as he stressed the need to pass a bill that would require higher national safety standards for rail movement of hazardous materials.

“We’re better prepared than we used to be. (But) there’s still some things we need to do,” Brown said.

Read more from Dayton Daily News.

Amtrak LogoTransportation advocates are hoping to convince Amtrak to restore rail service on the Gulf Coast between New Orleans and Florida that has been dormant since Hurricane Katrina 10 years ago. 

Trains on Amtrak’s Sunset Limited route, which used to run between Los Angeles and Orlando, have ended in New Orleans since the 2005 storm, which wiped out tracks along the Gulf of Mexico. 

A provision in a multiyear transportation bill that was approved in July by the Senate would provide funding for a study of the feasibility of restoring the service, which used to make stops in Alabama and the panhandle of Florida before it headed south to Orlando. 

Read more from The Hill.

Amtrak LogoSen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is urging the federal government to use $550 million worth of leftover Hurricane Sandy relief money to fix Amtrak and commuter rail tunnels in New York City that were damaged during the storm. 

Problems with rail tunnels in the New York City area have emerged as a political issue as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who cancelled an earlier proposal to build a new tunnel between New York and New Jersey, runs for president. 

Schumer, a top ranking Senate Democrat, said unobligated Hurricane Sandy relief could be used to help pay for repairs to Amtrak’s East River Tunnels, which carry trains between Manhattan and Queens under the city’s East River. 

Read more from The Hill. 

BNSF_Color_LogoLA CROSSE, Wis. — BNSF Railway says a temporary court injunction against use of its new track through the La Crosse River marsh would damage the railroad and disrupt the economy of the northern part of the country.

In documents filed this week, attorneys for BNSF challenge an order issued earlier this month by La Crosse County Circuit Judge Scott Horne, which allowed the railroad to continue construction of a second track through the marsh but restricted use of the track until legal challenges are settled in late September.

That order would have “a serious impact on interstate rail transportation, with effects that will be felt by thousands of rail customers across the northern United States,” the railroad argues.

Read more from LaCrosseTribune.com.

Retired former General Chairperson Robert E. Swert, 89, of Port Charlotte, Fla. and formerly of West Chester, Pa. died August 20, 2015, in Port Charlotte.

After serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Swert hired out as a brakeman with the New York Central Railroad. Swert began his rail career as a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT), and later became a member of United Transportation Union (UTU) Local 2 in Toledo, Ohio.

Swert served on the BRT Health and Welfare Committee which negotiated the first national health and welfare plan for operating employees.

Later, Swert moved to the management side as director of labor relations and eventually retired as vice president of Conrail Labor Relations. Although Swert moved into management, he kept his union membership with the UTU and paid full dues up until his retirement.

Swert is survived by his wife Connie, one daughter, two stepdaughters, two grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, two sisters and one brother. Swert was preceded in death by his first wife Rexine and his parents.

Swert’s brother is former UTU Assistant President Lloyd “Corky” Swert.

A graveside military service with military honors is planned for 11 a.m., Saturday, August 29, at Toledo Memorial Park, Sylvania, Ohio. Memorial contributions may be made in lieu of flowers to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 269, Alexandria, VA 22314, or to Tidewell Hospice Inc., 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34238.

Click here to view Swert’s obituary or to leave condolences for the family.

BNSF_loco_K.D.McLaughlinWith thick smoke impeding visibility and foiling aircraft operations over the past couple of days, BNSF Railway trains have been shuttling fire crews and heavy equipment into the Sheep Fire at the southern edge of Glacier National Park.

There firefighters have been working to build containment lines during a lull in fire activity.

Fire management team spokesman Greg Dinetto said Wednesday that three feller bunchers and a skidder have been railed in to help created a shaded fuel break downwind of the fire.

Read more from Daily Inter Lake.com.

high_speed_rail_1The Federal Railroad Administration has decided on a preferred route for the proposed high-speed rail that would run from Houston to Dallas and through the eastern counties of the Texas Brazos Valley.

The line approved for the proposed train would get people from Houston to Dallas in 90 minutes. It cuts right through Grimes, Madison and Leon Counties, among others.

Read more from KBTX.com.