NTSB faults parade plans in fatal UP collision

WASHINGTON – An oncoming freight train sounded its warning, and track guard gates started to descend. But the crowd was cheering, a marching band was playing, the lights of a police escort were flashing and a truck driver towing a parade float of wounded veterans and their wi [...]

Families encourage overhaul of pilot training

WASHINGTON – Prodded by the families of people killed in a regional airline crash, federal officials issued an extensive overhaul of training requirements for pilots Tuesday. One of the most important changes requires airlines to provide better training on how to prevent and [...]

Railroad pedestrian deaths continue to rise

The number of pedestrians killed in U.S. train collisions increased 25 percent in the first eight months of this year, setting a pace unseen in more than a decade, according to new federal data. There were 352 pedestrian railroad deaths, classified as trespasser fatalities, t [...]

NTSB considers train collision that killed 4 vets

WASHINGTON – Cheers of support from a flag-waving crowd watching a parade turned into shouts of horror when a freight train rammed into a float carrying veterans and their wives in Midland, Texas, last year. Four veterans were killed and 16 others were injured in the collisio [...]

Metra members approve seven-year deal

With 85 percent of eligible ballots returned, SMART Transportation Division conductors and assistant conductors on the Northern Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corp. (known as Metra) have approved a seven-year mediation agreement governing wages and working conditions, th [...]

Jury awards $2.6M to conductor for emotional damage

MINNEAPOLIS – A Hennepin County jury has awarded a former Burlington Northern Santa Fe conductor more than $2.6 million for emotional damage suffered in a Fridley derailment two years ago. Sean Nelson won the verdict after a two-week trial and four hours of deliberation earli [...]

FRA's Szabo addresses 50th meeting of RSAC

The following are Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo’s opening remarks to those attending the 50th meeting of the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) in Washington on Oct. 31, 2013. Today marks the end of a stressful month. The government shutdown forced [...]

Americans' appetite for Amtrak service growing

While politicians can’t agree on much, Iowans and the majority of Americans surely agree on one thing: They want more Amtrak service, not less. On the heaviest traveled passenger rail corridor in the nation, the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak keeps breaking ridership records. But [...]