The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a guidance memorandum for Emergency Order 28, which seeks to prevent trains operating on mainline tracks or sidings from moving unintentionally.
The memorandum has been sent to all Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) members and alternates.
Hardcopies will be provided at the emergency RSAC meeting scheduled for Aug. 29 and a detailed presentation on the safety advisory, Emergency Order 28 and this guidance document are on the agenda.
The nation’s top railroad administrator has told the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway that he is “shocked” that the company has not adopted a policy of using two-person crews on its trains in the United States.
In a letter to the Maine-based company, Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Joseph Szabo said he expects the railroad to stop manning trains with one-person crews.
Clearwater Fla.-based Avantair’s assets will be sold off and the company liquidated after it failed to meet a deadline last week to contest an involuntary Chapter 7 filing in the Florida Middle District U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Tampa.
Judge Catherine McEwen signed an order on Friday converting the case to full Chapter 7 status and gave former fractional provider Avantair until this Friday to provide the court with a list of creditors, co-debtors and unexpired leases. The court has also given Avantair’s creditors until Dec. 18 to file a claim.
After the recent disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is looking at possibly implementing positive train control (PTC) systems on its railroads.
In 2010 and 2012, two major train derailments have been linked to trainmen not following signal indications. The incident in 2010 at Saint-Charles-de-Bellechase, Quebec, only caused injuries and property damage, while the 2012 incident in Burlington, Ont., caused the deaths of three engineers.
In both cases, it was found that the trains were traveling at excessive speeds while switching tracks, having missed or misinterpreted signals.
Director of TSB rail and pipeline investigations Kirby Jang explains, “In Canada, we have a system called centralized traffic control, which provides visual signals, but there is no automated stopping or slowing of trains if the train crew were to exceed the limits of their authority.
“We believe that there’s a risk of serious train collisions and derailments if rail signals are not consistently recognized and followed. Really, what we’re trying to advocate is that further safety defenses should be implemented to ensure that signal indications of operating speed or operating limits are consistently recognized and followed. That’s a key finding and recommendation out of Burlington,” Jang said.
According to Jang, there are ongoing discussions about PTC systems, which would automatically reduce a train’s speed if it were moving too fast. The TSB is also looking at placing video and voice recording systems inside the cabs of locomotives as a source of data in the event of another derailment or train disaster like the one in Lac-Mégantic.
The TSB can only make recommendations to Transport Canada; it is then up to Transport Canada to decide whether or not they want to act on the recommendations made by the TSB.
Moore Former UTU International Vice President and Bus Department Director Kenneth R. Moore, 85, died Aug. 18. He was a member of Local 1563 at El Monte, Calif. Born in Danville, Ark., Moore began his career in transportation as a bus operator for the Long Beach, Calif., Motor Bus Company in 1950. He joined Continental Trailways in 1951 and Los Angeles Transit Lines in 1953. Originally a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Lodge 390, he served as the terminal griever from 1959 to 1962, lodge chairperson from 1962 to 1966, and general chairperson from 1965 to 1970. He was elected a BRT alternate vice president in 1964 and served in that capacity until filling a vacancy as International vice president Jan. 1, 1971. He was re-elected to that post at seven succeeding UTU quadrennial conventions. “Ken was a lifelong supporter of UTU and attended countless political functions with former State Director Scott Olson and me. He was a champion of labor and stayed politically active up until his death. He will be greatly missed,” said Arizona State Legislative Director Greg Hynes. Moore was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Dorothy. He is survived by his daughter, Marily Hill (Richard); stepdaughter, Anita Hornlein (Robert); two stepsons, Russell Brabant and Larry Maddox, as well as nine grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held Thursday, Aug. 22, from 2-4 p.m. at Valley of the Sun Mortuary, 10940 E. Chandler Heights Rd., Chandler, AZ 85248. Funeral services will be held at the Praise and Worship Center, 2551 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler, AZ 85225, on Friday, Aug. 23, with a viewing at 10 a.m. and services at 11 a.m. A reception will follow the services. In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor to either Family Comfort Hospice, 9150 E. Del Camino Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85258, or to Neighbors Who Care, 10450 E. Riggs Rd., Suite 113, Sun Lakes, AZ 85248, are preferred.
OMAHA, Nebraska — At least two major U.S. freight railroads are seeking to install cameras in their locomotives to make sure crews are following rules and avoiding cellphone use.
Union Pacific asked a federal judge this week to declare it has the authority to install the cameras under the railroad’s existing labor agreements. Kansas City Southern railroad won a similar lawsuit last month over the objections of labor unions.
This Labor Day, SMART General President Joseph Nigro will be present for the Omaha, Neb., Labor Day parade and other festivities. The SMART Transportation Division, led by Transportation Division Nebraska State Legislative Director Bob Borgeson, will also host other events at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall in Omaha Sept. 1-2. The event kicks off with a “membership feed” Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. Members who show up will receive a T-shirt to wear for the parade. The Labor Day parade will be held Sept. 2 and line-up to walk in the parade is at 9 a.m. at 16th and Webster Streets. There will be mini-trains and a SMART TD caboose for children to ride on. Borgeson encourages all SMART members in the Omaha area from both the transportation and sheet metal divisions to attend. For more information, contact him at (402) 679-0872, or email him at smartdirector@cox.net.
This Labor Day, SMART General President Joseph Nigro will be present for the Omaha, Neb., Labor Day parade and other festivities. The SMART Transportation Division, led by Transportation Division Nebraska State Legislative Director Bob Borgeson, will also host other events at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall in Omaha Sept. 1-2. The event kicks off with a “membership feed” Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. Members who show up will receive a T-shirt to wear for the parade. The Labor Day parade will be held Sept. 2 and line-up to walk in the parade is at 9 a.m. at 16th and Webster Streets. There will be mini-trains and a SMART TD caboose for children to ride on. Eight Transportation Division locals and two general committees are expected to be in attendance. Members from Omaha, Lincoln, North Platte, Alliance and Scottsbluff, Neb. are expected to be represented as well as Council Bluffs, Iowa. Around 400 members from both the Transportation Division and Sheet Metal Workers are expected to be in attendance. Members can view the UTU in the parade from the past four years by going to YouTube and searching “UTU Labor Day.” Borgeson encourages all SMART members in the Omaha area from both the transportation and sheet metal divisions to attend. For more information, contact him at (402) 679-0872, or email him at smartdirector@cox.net.
Members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers using airline travel throughout the United States may have noticed a commercial touting the efforts of their labor organization. The video is appearing on monitors at the gates of all American and U.S. Airways flights at the 48 airports listed on this attachment during CNN broadcasts in August and September. The video was produced by Clearwind Media to brand the name and acronym of the new organization and to provide a positive message to the public. To view the video, click here. Clearwind Media has also produced a three-minute interview with General President Joseph Nigro about the organization. Listen to the audio interview here.
Guy
CHICAGO – Gov. Pat Quinn issued an executive order Aug. 15 creating the Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force, an independent panel of transit, finance and government leaders who will issue recommendations to reform the mass transit system in northeastern Illinois. SMART Transportation Division State Legislative Director Robert Guy is a member of the panel.
Guy graduated from Western Illinois University in 1991 with a bachelor of arts degree in broadcast journalism. In 1996, he was elected UTU Local 234’s local legislative representative and was re-elected in 1999 and 2003, becoming state legislative director in 2009. He has focused on expanding Amtrak service and working on safety legislation and other issues.
“Safety and efficiency are important issues in transit operations. Illinois State Legislative Director Bob Guy understands the necessary components of providing these vital services with on-time performance. This appointment is an honor for Bob and an opportunity for our transit riders in Chicagoland,” said SMART Transportation Division President Mike Futhey.
The 15-member, blue-ribbon task force is charged with developing ways to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse and streamline operations to ensure improved transit service for the millions of users each year.
The task force will issue recommendations to be considered by the General Assembly and Gov. Quinn for both the veto and spring sessions.
The executive order is part of Gov. Quinn’s agenda to strengthen oversight of mass transit in northeastern Illinois and restore commuters’ confidence. The governor’s move comes in the wake of recurring scandals at Metra and ongoing accountability problems over the last decade.
“It’s clear that the mass transit system in northeastern Illinois is not working for taxpayers,” Quinn said. “This task force is a step forward to make our transit system worthy of the public’s trust. Their recommendations will be valuable as we work in both the veto and spring sessions to reform mass transit in northeastern Illinois.”
The task force will develop recommendations to revamp the oversight of mass transit in northeastern Illinois. The task force will work to provide initial recommendations to the governor and the Illinois General Assembly prior to the fall veto session, and they will issue a final report by Jan. 31, 2014.
Other members of the Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force include:
Co-chair George Ranney Jr., president and CEO of Metropolis Strategies; Co-chair Ann L. Schneider, secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation; Carole L. Brown, currently a managing director at Barclay’s Capital; Patrick Fitzgerald, former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Adrienne M. Holloway, assistant professor of political science at DePaul University’s School of Public Service; Sylvia Jenkins, president of Moraine Valley Community College; Nick Palmer, chief of staff for Will County Executive Larry Walsh; Tony Paulauski, executive director of The Arc of Illinois; Raul Raymundo, executive director of the Resurrection Project, an organization dedicated to creating healthy communities through organizing, education and community development; Robert G. Reiter Jr., secretary-treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL); Ashish Sen, a member of the Chicago Transit Authority board of directors; Don Tantillo, retired high school teacher and debate coach who worked at Wheeling High School; Kathryn Tholin, CEO of Center for Neighborhood Technology; and Sonia Walwyn, vice president of Duff & Phelps, LLC.
The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a guidance memorandum for Emergency Order 28, which seeks to prevent trains operating on mainline tracks or sidings from moving unintentionally.
Clearwater Fla.-based Avantair’s assets will be sold off and the company liquidated after it failed to meet a deadline last week to contest an involuntary Chapter 7 filing in the Florida Middle District U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Tampa.
OMAHA, Nebraska — At least two major U.S. freight railroads are seeking to install cameras in their locomotives to make sure crews are following rules and avoiding cellphone use.
Members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers using airline travel throughout the United States may have noticed a commercial touting the efforts of their labor organization.