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FRA told: ‘Mexican trains must be inspected’

October 21, 2010 Union Pacific is at it again — and the UTU and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen intend to stop it, again. The “it” is a UP request to the Federal Railroad Administration that UP be allowed to bring trains from Mexico into the United State [...]

STB’s lone Republican member to depart

October 20, 2010 WASHINGTON – U.S. Surface Transportation Board member Charles “Chip” Nottingham said he will not seek reappointment when his term expires Dec. 31. Under federal law, STB members may continue serving for up to 12 months after expiration of their term, or until a su [...]

Tags Elliott, Mulvey, Nottingham, STB, Surface Transportation Board

FRA warns of lapses in situational awareness

October 19, 2010 Citing a series of on-duty career ending injuries and fatalities over the past 24 months that occurred on or near mainline track, the Federal Railroad Administration has issued a safety advisory on the importance of situational awareness, especially when the job being perform [...]

Transit may benefit from new fuels-tax formula

October 19, 2010 WASHINGTON—State departments of transportation, which have long relied on gasoline and diesel fuel taxes to fund highways and transit programs, are asking Congress to replace the decades old pennies-per-gallon tax with a flat percentage tax, reports Dow Jones newswire. The ch [...]

Tags fuels-tax formula, Highway Trust Fund, percentage, transit

Elect lawmakers who support public transit

October 15, 2010 By Bonnie Morr, Alternate vice president, Bus Department Right now in our country, economics are spelling out what transit and transportation will look like, now and in the future. The UTU Bus Department has been following politics and the trends for funding that are necessar [...]

Tags bus, candidates, election day, funding, lawmakers, public transit, vote

FRA to make cell-phone ban permanent

October 1, 2010 WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has announced it will make permanent its Emergency Order No. 26 restricting the use by on-duty train crews of cell phones and other electronic devices. Some changes, as described below, are to be included in the permanent [...]

Republican lawyer nominated for NMB

September 27, 2010 WASHINGTON – President Obama has nominated Republican Thomas M. Beck, an attorney, to succeed Republican Elizabeth Dougherty on the three-member National Mediation Board. The nomination requires Senate confirmation, and a confirmation hearing before the Senate Labor Committee [...]

Tags beck, Federal Labor Relations Authority, FLRA, National Mediation Board, NMB, republican, Thomas M. Beck

OSHA affirms support for whistle-blowers

September 17, 2010 WASHINGTON – An official of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) this week affirmed the agency’s support for whistle-blower protection. OSHA enforces provisions of 19 laws protecting employees who report violations of various securities, trucking, airline, [...]

Tags Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, safety, violations, Whistleblower Protection Program, whistleblowers

FRA: Rails can discipline camera disabling

June 6, 2010 The Federal Railroad Administration, following disciplinary action by Los Angeles Metrolink against two operating employees who disabled an inward facing camera in the locomotive cab, said that while the agency does not now regulate cab-installed inward facing cameras, it [...]

FRA proposes permanent cell-phone ban

May 18, 2010 The Federal Railroad Administration is moving to make permanent an October 2008 emergency order restricting the use by on-duty train crews of cell phones and other electronic devices. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published Tuesday, May 18, in the Federal Register, indi [...]