Category: Amtrak/Commuter News
High-speed Amtrak train derails in Wash., dangles over highway
CBS reports that high-speed, southbound Amtrak Cascades train 501 derailed on an overpass this morning near DuPont in Washington state. At least one train car crashed down onto Interstate 5 and blocked all lanes of traffic. Authorities say that injuries and casualties have be [...]
OSHA: Working in the cold and preparing for winter weather
Winter weather presents hazards including slippery roads/surfaces, strong winds and environmental cold. Employers must prevent illnesses, injuries or fatalities, by controlling these hazards in workplaces impacted by winter weather. OSHA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric A [...]
RRB: Annuitants may need to increase tax withholding at 62
Certain portions of a railroad retirement annuity are treated differently for federal income tax purposes. The following questions and answers explain these differences and address the importance of individuals establishing accurate tax withholding from their annuities. Certa [...]
NTSB: Ignored safety procedures, fractured safety program led to fatal Amtrak derailment
WASHINGTON (Nov. 14, 2017) — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the April 3, 2016, derailment of Amtrak train 89 near Chester, Pennsylvania, was caused by deficient safety management across many levels of Amtrak and the resultant lack of a clear, consi [...]
DOT final rule: Workplace drug and alcohol testing procedures
On Nov. 13, 2017, the Department of Transportation (DOT) published a final rule that, among other items, expands DOT’s current drug testing panel to include certain semi-synthetic opioids (i.e., hydrocodone, oxycodone, hydromorphone, oxymorphone). Testing for methylened [...]
Update: Condition of member who suffered domestic attack
Amtrak conductor and Local 1933 member Amanda “Mandie” Brillhart has been in the hospital more than a month and continues to undergo surgeries after Florence, S.C., sheriff’s deputies said her husband, Charles Durell Nethercutt, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire in t [...]
Armed man apprehended on Amtrak train
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Taylor M. Wilson, 25, of St. Charles, Mo., was detained by Amtrak staff after he pulled the emergency brake while aboard an Amtrak train traveling southwest through Nebraska. It was discovered that Wilson was armed with a loaded Smith [...]
SMART TD against Trump’s nominee for Amtrak chair
SMART TD opposes the recent nomination of former U.S. Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland of Georgia by the Trump administration to serve on the Board of Directors of Amtrak. As a longtime member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and H [...]