Metro-North accidents focus of federal hearings

HARTFORD, Conn. – An October hearing will be held to address railroad issues including track inspection and maintenance as well as safety standards for both passengers and workers, federal officials investigating two recent Metro-North Railroad accidents in Connecticut announ [...]

Opinion: Imagine a multimodal Northeast Corridor

Creative vision in Washington, D.C., is not quite an oxymoron, but seemingly only extraordinary external events cause it to materialize. Perhaps there was prediction of a month of Sundays when Congress authorized land grants for a transcontinental railroad; expectation of hel [...]

Veolia gets Tri-Rail contract extension

The Board of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority unanimously voted Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013, to award Veolia Transportation the three remaining option years for the company’s Tri-Rail contract. The contract now extends through June 2017. The South Florida [...]

Train safety move delayed decades

WASHINGTON – It was an accident investigators say didn’t have to happen: Five years ago a commuter train collided head-on with a freight train near Los Angeles, killing 25 and injuring more than 100. Technology is available to prevent the most catastrophic collisions, b [...]

South Shore conductor has seen it all

As a young child, Greg Wiseman had the world in his view. Sitting on the lap of his grandfather – a train engineer – Wiseman was given an up-close look of life on the tracks. Nearly 50 years later, walking down the aisle of the South Shore Line commuter train headed from Mich [...]

Take a moment to learn about Labor Day

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-be [...]

SLD Bates accepts spot on FRA panel

District of Columbia State Legislative Director and SMART Transportation Safety Team member Willie Bates has been invited by Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo to serve on the Stakeholder Review Panel for the agency’s new Clear Signal for Action safety program. The C [...]

Labor rules to boost employment for vets, disabled

WASHINGTON – Veterans and disabled workers who often struggle to find work could have an easier time landing a job under new federal regulations. The rules, announced Aug. 27 by the Labor Department, will require most government contractors to set a goal of having disabled wo [...]

RRB issues financial report

The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is required by law to submit annual financial reports to Congress on the financial condition of the railroad retirement system and the railroad unemployment insurance system. These reports must also include recommendations for any financing [...]