Category: News

Good times continue to roll for railroads

October 18, 2010 For the first 40 weeks of this year – through Oct. 9 – rail carloadings are up almost 10 percent over last year, and intermodal loadings have soared by more than 15 percent, according to data from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Oct. 9, intermodal w [...]

Longest rail tunnel; but much work remains

October 18, 2010 It’s billed as the world’s longest tunnel – 35.4 miles long — and it’s been 60 years in the planning and digging. It’s in Switzerland. The Gotthard Base Tunnel is the backbone of a proposed high-speed freight and passenger rail network through Europe, according to vario [...]

Elect lawmakers who support public transit

October 15, 2010 By Bonnie Morr, Alternate vice president, Bus Department Right now in our country, economics are spelling out what transit and transportation will look like, now and in the future. The UTU Bus Department has been following politics and the trends for funding that are necessar [...]

Tags bus, candidates, election day, funding, lawmakers, public transit, vote

MBTA expanding routes into Rhode Island

October 15, 2010 The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will extend, by year-end, its commuter rail service from Boston to Providence and Warwick, both in Rhode Island, reports progressiverailroading.com. Trains will make six stops per day at the soon-to-be-completed InterLink [...]

NS leases 36 miles of N.Y. track to short line

October 15, 2010 Norfolk Southern has leased 36 miles of track and trackage rights in New York to Middletown & New Jersey Railroad, reports progressiverailroading.com. The track connects Campbell Hall, N.Y., to a connection with the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway in Warwick, N. [...]

FMCSA shows off new bus safety technology

October 15, 2010 New technology to improve the safety performance of buses was showcased this week by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The FMCSA demonstrated the latest state-of-the-art technology to be used by law enforcement to conduct commercial motor vehicle safety inspect [...]

New technology sets train speed, saves fuel

October 15, 2010 A new technology to calculate optimal locomotive speed to save fuel has been developed by General Electric’s GE Transportation, reports the website, smartplanet.com. According to smartplanet.com, the technology, called Trip Optimizer, “can save 3.3 million gallons on th [...]

AFL-CIO launching young worker outreach

October 14, 2010 A new survey by the AFL-CIO shows young workers worse off this year than they were last year. In response, the federation is ratcheting up its outreach program to connect with the next generation of workers. The survey shows young workers are more likely to be working part ti [...]

Disability annuities for railroad employees

October 13, 2010 The Railroad Retirement Act provides disability annuities for railroaders who become totally or occupationally disabled. Medicare coverage before age 65 is also available for totally disabled employees and those suffering from chronic kidney disease. The following questions a [...]

FAA: Serious runway incursions halved

October 11, 2010 Serious runway incursions halved, says FAA Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Randy Babbitt says the number of serious runway incursions during the past 12 months at the nation’s airports dropped 50 percent from a similar 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2009, the [...]