Category: Regulations
FRA Administrator Bose: Safety is first
SAN FRANCISCO — Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose didn’t elaborate on the Rule of 2 that his agency recently put forth for the public to weigh in on, but he made it clear as he spoke on the second day of the SMART Leadership Conference that the lines of communication at his agency are open. […]
FRA NPRM: The truth behind the need for two-person crews
It’s a shame, really, that the safety of my members, the public and the infrastructure are nothing more than political pawns in the railroads’ game of never-ending greed. And it’s a shame, frankly, that the railroads manipulate woefully inept individuals – having never meaningfully walked the ballast or performed the myriad tasks of a conductor […]
TD President Ferguson to testify before House rail subcommittee
SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy R. Ferguson is scheduled to be a featured witness testifying next week in a hearing before the U.S. House Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee. The hearing on freight rail safety is scheduled 10 a.m. June 14 at the 2167 Rayburn House Office Building in Washington D.C. “I have great […]
STB requires additional service reporting from railroads
The federal Surface Transportation Board issued the following statement on Friday, May 6: The Surface Transportation Board today announced that it will require certain railroads to submit service recovery plans as well as provide additional data and regular progress reports on rail service, operations, and employment. These measures are meant to inform the Board’s assessment […]
House Transportation leaders urge FRA to act on fatigue, attendance policies
CLEVELAND (April 6) — Leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure are asking the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to take action on a 2008 Congressional mandate to address rail worker fatigue at Class I carriers, with a specific reference to attendance policies such as those imposed at CSX, Union Pacific, […]
Rail members’ input sought by FRA for fatigue survey
The Federal Railroad Administration is asking T&E rail members of the SMART Transportation Division to participate in a wide-reaching survey of T&E personnel on the topic of fatigue. Participants working in T&E roles in either passenger or freight service are highly encouraged to help FRA’s Office of Research, Development & Technology: Human Factors Division gather […]TD leadership applauds confirmation of Amit Bose to lead FRA
Amit Bose, who has been serving the Biden administration as acting administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) since February 2021, was confirmed Jan. 12 by the U.S. Senate to become full administrator. This was a bipartisan vote, 68-29. Bose’s nomination by President Joe Biden had been put on hold by Republican U.S. Sen. Rick […]
The INVEST in America Act and how it protects TD members
A surface transportation reauthorization bill introduced June 4 by chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) has a wide-reaching positive impact for members of the SMART Transportation Division. Mostly mirroring the identically named INVEST in America Act that passed the U.S. House of Representatives last summer but died in the […]