Category: News
Two more suits added against CSX alleging FMLA violations
According to the Jacksonville Business Journal, two more lawsuits were filed Nov. 29 alleging that CSX Corp. has violated employees’ rights protected under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). According to the Department of Labor, “FMLA provides eligible emplo [...]
Alaska Railroad back to running at full throttle after earthquake
The Alaska Railroad (ARR) is back up and running after Friday’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake. Regularly scheduled freight services started running again Tuesday, Dec. 4. ARR suspended all service after the quake in order to assess damage along its nearly 500 miles of tracka [...]
Alaska Railroad stalled by earthquake damage
A magnitude-7.0 earthquake rippled through Matanuska-Susitna Borough and Anchorage, Alaska, causing collapses and damage to Alaska’s infrastructure on Friday, Nov. 30. More than 200 aftershocks, some up to 5.7 magnitude, continued for 12 hours after the initial quake. D [...]
FTA allocates $281 million in funding for five transit projects
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced a total of $281 million in additional Fiscal Year 2018 federal funding allocations to five transit projects in Arizona, California, Minnesota and Texas. Funding will be provide [...]
Kansas company admits fault in causing Amtrak derailment; trial canceled
A feed company whose truck rolled down a hill and crashed into railroad tracks in Cimarron, Kan., in March 2016 has admitted fault and avoided a trial on the matter. Amtrak’s Southwest Chief derailed on those same tracks about 15 hours later, and 28 people aboard the Lo [...]
FRA issues Final Rule to promote safe and efficient high-speed passenger rail operations
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a final rule establishing modern, performance-based safety standards for railroad passenger equipment. The rule reinforces FRA’s commitment to safety while representing one [...]
Preliminary report issued by NTSB on accident that killed two Local 446 members
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on the Oct. 4 collision of two Union Pacific (UP) trains in Granite Canyon, Wyo., that killed SMART Transportation Division Local 446 members Jason Vincent Martinez, 40, and Benjamin “Benj [...]RRB: Buyouts and Railroad Retirement Benefits
Railroad employees frequently ask the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) how the acceptance of a buyout from a railroad employer affects their future eligibility for benefits under the Railroad Retirement and Railroad Unemployment Insurance Acts. The following questions and answ [...]