News - Page 342 of 637

University of Illinois opens cutting-edge rail lab

September 4, 2015 By DOT Assistant Secretary Greg Winfree It’s no secret that freight rail and rail transit services are growing. With transit ridership breaking records year after year and expanded domestic fuel production putting more energy freight on the network, the rail industry in [...]

Tags Greg Winfree, rail, RailTEC, University of Illinois, UTC

Bill aims to upgrade safety for materials sent by rail

September 4, 2015 A push for stiffer hazardous chemical rail transportation standards was made Wednesday, Sept. 2 near the site of a train accident that caused the largest evacuation in Ohio history. Local officials — recalling the 1986 Miamisburg train derailment — joined Sen. Sherrod Brown, [...]

Tags hazardous materials, hazmat, Sen. Sherrod Brown

PennDOT solicits comments on statewide rail plan

September 3, 2015 The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) yesterday announced it has scheduled three open houses this month for the public to review a draft of an updated Pennsylvania State Rail Plan. The plan would establish a “clear vision” for the future of rail [...]

Tags Pa. DOT, PennDOT, rail plan

FRA announces $10 million in grants for crossings

September 3, 2015 WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced that it is soliciting applications for $10 million in competitive grant funding available to states to improve highway-rail grade crossings and track along routes that transport energy products like crude [...]

Tags FRA, grade crossings, grants

Reminder: Long-Term Disability Open Until September 30

September 2, 2015 The open enrollment period for the Voluntary Long-Term Disability (VLTD) Plan has been extended an additional 30 days. Transportation Division members will now have until September 30, 2015 to open enroll in the plan. Further policy details are being finalized and will be pos [...]

BNSF impacted by northwestern wildfires

September 2, 2015 BNSF Railway Co. reported to its customers yesterday that it is experiencing an operational impact due to a track outage caused by wildfires in Essex, Mont. The Class I informed customers in an Aug. 31 service advisory that the railroad’s main track though the area was [...]

Tags BNSF, WILDFIRES

USDOT to study future southeast railroad network

September 1, 2015 RALEIGH, N.C. — USDOT Secretary Anthony Foxx announced last month that a federally-led regional study will be conducted to develop a shared, workable vision for a Southeast passenger rail network. Secretary Foxx noted that: “A world-class passenger rail network in our f [...]

Tags Anthony Foxx, Secretary Foxx, Southeast Corridor, Southeast railroad network, USDOT

NLRB ruling on 3rd party employers could help unions

September 1, 2015 Unions and other labor advocates are brainstorming strategies after a National Labor Relations Board ruling that could strengthen the hand of those at the lowest level of such industries as warehousing, construction, fast food and home health care. The NLRB said Thursday that [...]

Tags NLRB, third-party employers

Advocates hope to restore rail service cut by Katrina

August 31, 2015 Transportation advocates are hoping to convince Amtrak to restore rail service on the Gulf Coast between New Orleans and Florida that has been dormant since Hurricane Katrina 10 years ago. Trains on Amtrak’s Sunset Limited route, which used to run between Los Angeles a [...]

Tags Amtrak, Hurricane Katrina, Sunset Limited

Schumer: use Sandy relief funds to fix NYC rail tunnels

August 31, 2015 Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is urging the federal government to use $550 million worth of leftover Hurricane Sandy relief money to fix Amtrak and commuter rail tunnels in New York City that were damaged during the storm. Problems with rail tunnels in the New York City area [...]

Tags Amtrak, Hurricane Sandy, NEC