Amtrak sets ridership record for FY 2013

WASHINGTON – Amtrak carried a record 31.6 million passengers in fiscal year 2013, delivering nationwide benefits, providing vital transportation services, advancing America’s economy and demonstrating the value and convenience of the national passenger rail network. It is the [...]

Colleague sets up defense fund for MM&A conductor

MONTREAL – A former colleague of the train conductor involved in the Lac-Megantic, Que., derailment has set up a legal defence fund for the man. Randy MacDonald, 55, said he “wanted to help out” Tom Harding, the man at the centre of the explosions that killed 47 p [...]

The little airline that could, but didn’t

If you already read the Aug. 15 article titled “Great Lakes Faces Shortage of Pilots” that was written by James Chilton and published in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, you may be interested in a broader view of the story. In response to Great Lakes’ far-flung exertions across the [...]

Party labels aside, Americans want to ride Amtrak

WASHINGTON – New polling shows that Americans across the ideological spectrum support more public funding of Amtrak passenger rail service. “We polled people who mostly do not live in large passenger rail regions and yet they overwhelmingly said they want the same level of or [...]

Report: Rail safety guidelines in Maine adequate

PORTLAND, Maine – A rail safety review ordered by Maine Gov. Paul LePage following a fiery train derailment that claimed 47 lives north of the border in Quebec has determined that existing practices are adequate, but it didn’t address the issue of single-person crews fo [...]

Inside the secret world of tired pilots

Many airlines do not provide sleeping quarters for their off-duty pilots, yet the pilots are expected to get the required amount of sleep in order to function during their next flight often in an away-from-home city. Some pilots make as little at $17,000 a year and so are for [...]

A tired pilot is a tired pilot, regardless of plane

News broke recently that two pilots reported falling asleep while operating a long-haul Airbus 330 flight to the U.K. full of passengers. For an unknown length of time, autopilot kept the aircraft flying. Before the Aug. 13 flight, the pilots had slept only five hours over th [...]

BNSF offers $5K reward after train shooting

SEATTLE – BNSF Railway has announced it will pay $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects who fired at least 15 shots at one of its freight trains west of Quincy at 8:15 p.m. Sept. 24. Gus Melonas, spokesman for the Fort Worth, Texas-based railr [...]

Poll shows conservative support for Amtrak

Armed with polling data obtained by SMART?Transportation Division?political consultant Dean Mitchell of DFM?Research, Colorado State Legislative Director Carl Smith and Assistant Legislative Director Charlie Skidmore Sept. 14 presented community leaders from Colorado, Kansas [...]

BNSF to serve new crude-rail terminal in Wyo.

CTRAN L.L.C., Cogent Energy Solutions L.L.C. and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners have announced they secured all permits, funding and customers to begin construction on a crude-by-rail terminal adjacent to the Casper Natrona County International Airport in Casper, Wyo. To b [...]