Category: Amtrak/Commuter

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Chicago Metra conductor assaulted, injured

October 23, 2012 An on-duty Chicago Metra conductor received medical attention following an assault during a botched robbery attempt at a west side passenger station Oct. 22. According to news reports, the conductor, whose identity was not released, was transported to a hospital with unspecif [...]

Tags assault, BNSF, Chicago Metra

UTU TST assists NTSB after Amtrak derailment

October 23, 2012 The UTU Transportation Safety Team is assisting National Transportation Board investigators following an Oct. 21 derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Niles, Mich. News reports indicate the investigation initially is focusing on whether the train was on the wrong track. [...]

Tags Amtrak, derailment, Transportation Safety Team

Republicans, Romney & Ryan agree: Kill Amtrak

August 30, 2012 The Republican National Convention has made it official and in writing – the Republican Party, its presidential candidate Mitt Romney and its vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan are in agreement to end all federal funding for Amtrak and high-speed rail. Romney previously si [...]

Tags Amtrak, Republican platform, Romney, Ryan

Larry Mann, rail safety coordinator to SMART TD’s Designated Legal Counsel.

Update on conductor certification

August 21, 2012 By Larry Mann, UTU Rail Safety Coordinator – The FRA amended its conductor certification rules in February, delaying the time for testing conductors, extending the time for formulating training programs and amending the territorial qualification requirements. By Sept. [...]

Tags conductor certification, Larry Mann

Staten Island Railway members have new contract

August 9, 2012 Strunk UTU members employed by New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and working in numerous crafts on Staten Island Railway have a new agreement retroactive to January 2007, following an award by a state arbitrator. Negotiations had dragged for nearly six ye [...]

Tags Delbert Strunk, Local 1440, Staten Island Railway, Tommy Wilson

UTU offering treasurers’ workshop in October

August 8, 2012 The UTU International is conducting a Treasurers’ Workshop at its headquarters in North Olmsted, Ohio, Oct. 29-31, 2012. Attendance will be limited to 24 registrants. Those interested in attending the workshop should contact the office of the general secretary & treasurer [...]

Tags treasurers' workshops, workshops

Update on congressional funding for Amtrak

July 19, 2012 Here is an update on federal funding to keep Amtrak operating. The House of Representatives in June approved a transportation funding bill — for the 12-month fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 — that includes $1.8 billion for Amtrak (H.R. 5972). This is an almost $400 [...]

Tags Amtrak funding

High-speed rail in Calif., Northeast moving forward

July 9, 2012 High-speed rail has been given an energy-boosting vitamin B-12 shot by the California legislature and Amtrak for separate projects on the West and East Coasts. In California, the legislature agreed to spend $6 billion to build the first 130-mile leg of a 520-mile high-speed l [...]

Tags California, Gov. Jerry Brown, high-speed rail

New surface transport law a mixed bag

July 2, 2012 It’s not all we wanted, but, maybe more important, it’s not as bad as it could have been. Given the polarization of this Congress, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century – MAP-21 – is as good a new transportation authorization bill as we could have hoped for. Passe [...]

Tags Alaska Railroad, Amtrak, bus, commuter rail, MAP 21, PTC, training, transit

Conductor certification program available online

June 28, 2012 A slideshow presented to UTU members attending the union’s conductor certification workshop at the Portland, Ore., regional meeting is now available on the UTU website. The slideshow can be downloaded as a PowerPoint presentation by clicking here or in PDF format here. [...]