SMART Union
There’s no place like home for the holidays, so Amtrak is offering 10 extra trains for Thanksgiving on the Chicago-Michigan corridor.
The rail service will add an extra train in each direction Wednesday, Nov. 25, Saturday, Nov. 28, and Sunday, Nov. 29 on the Chicago-Ann Arbor “Wolverine Line” to help people reach their Turkey Day destinations and return home.
Click here for Amtrak’s holiday schedule.
Read more from MLive media group.
The project to develop a long-overdue new rail tunnel from New Jersey under the Hudson River to New York City took a major step forward on November 11 with the creation of a corporation within the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to oversee the scheme.
The Gateway Development Corporation (GDC) will coordinate the project and will be controlled by a four-member board with representation from the states of New York, New Jersey, Amtrak and the Federal Department of Transportation. As part of the agreement to found GDC, the federal government and Amtrak have committed to funding half of the estimated $US 20bn project, with the two states funding the other half.
Read more from International Railway Journal.
Robert “Bobby” Bonds, 61, long-time Amtrak Operation RedBlock director and a 39-year Amtrak employee, died Oct. 29, 2015.
Bonds had committed his life to Operation RedBlock, a labor-developed, management-adopted drug-and alcohol-prevention/intervention program begun more than 30 years ago to provide assistance to thousands of union brothers and sisters on various railroads.
A featured speaker at the SMART 2015 Business Agents’ Conference, Bonds believed in the concept of peer involvement to prevent employee use of alcohol and drugs while on duty or subject to call. Nationally recognized as a leader in crisis intervention, he trained more than 25,000 lay-professionals, volunteers and mental health professionals in the U.S. and Europe to deal with workplace and family crisis interventions.
Bonds was a trustworthy friend to many, known for his strong leadership, his ability to bring people together, and his positive outlook on life. Those who knew him best describe him as a man of character, a model of competency, determination and integrity.
Bonds is survived by his wife, Ronna; four children, his mother and brother.
Services were held Nov. 1, 2015, in Philadelphia, Pa. Contributions in his memory can be made to the Main Line Health Home Care and Hospice Foundation, 240 Radnor-Chester Rd., Radnor, PA 19087, or the Lung Cancer Alliance, 1700 K St. NW, Ste. 660, Washington, DC 10006.
Operation RedBlock provides education, counseling, references for treatment, and a mechanism for employees to mark off without reprisal if impaired when called for work. The program aims to change attitudes, reduce the tolerance of nonusers to job-related drug and alcohol use, and encourage users to seek assistance.
Click here to view Bonds’ obituary or to leave condolences.
California has more museums dedicated to railroads than any other state in our country – and it’s easy to see why. From the transcontinental railroad to the developing high-speed rail system, rail transportation has played a significant role in shaping this state’s history.
The people of California believe passenger rail is key to the state’s future, too. At a public hearing in Modesto last summer, plans to improve and expand passenger rail service received overwhelming support from area residents, Republicans and Democrats alike. And a new poll prepared by Dean Mitchell of DFM Research found those same sentiments are shared by the people of California’s 10th Congressional District.
Those living in the district enjoy six daily Amtrak train routes in the San Joaquin Valley, running from Bakersfield to Sacramento and the Bay Area. More than 8 of 10 polled say they want to see Amtrak service increased or at least remain the same, and more than 80 percent want commuter rail services increased or maintained at current levels.
Modesto-area residents aren’t alone. As Amtrak continues to grow in popularity – ridership hit an all-time high in 2014 with 31 million passengers – an overwhelming majority of Americans support increasing passenger rail service in all parts of the country, both in traditionally blue and red states from the south to the Midwest and Northeast.
Sadly, not everyone is hearing this call.
Some in Congress continue to fight the old anti-Amtrak wars by proposing the elimination of all federal funding to support the service, which would bankrupt the railroad and strand riders in California and across America. While those efforts have failed, the persistence of anti-passenger rail forces has brought headwinds to efforts to advance a robust passenger rail expansion and modernization plan.
Like the vast majority of Americans, most residents of Stanislaus County and the surrounding areas have shown they don’t agree with such proposals. In fact, when told that Amtrak gets over $1 billion per year in federal support, more than 80 percent say they reject attempts to eliminate it and want to continue the current funding level.
In addition to expanded passenger rail service, Californians also say emphatically that they favor policies making rail transportation safer.
Not unlike the views of most Americans, the idea of running 19,000-ton freight trains – many containing hazardous materials – with only one crew member doesn’t sit well with the people of the 10th Congressional District. With up to 50 freight trains running through the region each day, a stunning 95 percent of residents support a state law requiring a minimum of two crew members on all freight trains running through California – such as the one signed into law in September by Gov. Jerry Brown.
More than 90 percent of those surveyed want national legislation mandating the same thing. This issue impacts passenger rail safety as well, because in most parts of the country Amtrak shares the tracks with freight trains.
Californians understand that having a safe, efficient rail system is vital to a strong economy. We need actions that can bring relief to a clogged transportation system that is choking productivity, stunting job creation and undermining efforts to grow our economy. California voters couldn’t be more clear: they like passenger rail service, they want more of it and they expect their elected officials to make it as safe as possible.
Amtrak has obtained $275 million in insurance protection against natural disaster damage to its Northeast Corridor infrastructure, the railroad announced.
The railroad used a catastrophe bond to secure the coverage, which lasts just under three years and helps protect against the kind of infrastructure damage that Amtrak experienced during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.
Read more from Progressive Railroading.
A Blue Ribbon Panel, which was chosen last year by Amtrak‘s President and CEO Joe Boardman to identify ways to ease the massive “Chicago Gateway” delays to passenger and freight traffic, has released its findings.
The panel also released a study it commissioned that shows the Chicago congestion problem creates an economic vulnerability of up to $799 billion every year, impacting six key industries, including agriculture and natural resources, automotive, manufacturing, retail and services, and constituting 85 percent of the U.S domestic product.
Boardman said, “The panel interviewed experts with the freight rail industry, Metra commuter rail, the states of Illinois, Indiana and Michigan and others and the verdict was unanimous: the implications of failing to act are dire for the economy of the nation in general and the Chicago area in particular.”
Read more from RAILRESOURCE.
A southbound Amtrak train derailed Monday morning in central Vermont after apparently striking a rock slide, officials said.
The accident occurred in the town of Northfield, about 10 miles south of Montpelier, the state capital.
A spokesperson for the Montpelier Fire Department said they had reports of four people injured so far after five cars derailed, two of which tumbled over a bank. There have been no reported deaths, the spokesperson, Lt. Dana Huoppi, said. A federal official told NBC News that none of the injuries so far appeared life-threatening.
Read more from NBC News.
Secretary urges continued cooperation to build project. Project would reduce trip time to just over 2 hours from current 3.5.
Washington – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the State of North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia announced today that they have signed off on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed Richmond to Raleigh (R2R) passenger rail line along the Southeast Corridor. The completion of the FEIS is one of the final steps necessary before construction of the project can move forward once funding is secured.
“Without a strong passenger rail system, the Southeast’s growth will be choked by congestion for a very long time,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. “North Carolina, Virginia and the Department of Transportation have worked together to bring us closer to high-speed rail connecting Richmond and Raleigh, and I urge everyone involved to continue pushing this effort forward. High-speed rail in this region is not a luxury but a necessity.”
The 162-mile route between the two cities would utilize existing and former rail lines for approximately 60 percent of the route and is planned to be free from at-grade crossings of track and roads. This route is part of a larger multi-state planning effort to provide high-speed passenger service between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. In July, Secretary Foxx announced that the Department of Transportation would invest approximately $1 million to develop a regional long-term vision for the corridor and engage states and stakeholders to help the region form a governance organization that can sustain planning efforts and implement the vision.
“Today brings us closer to breaking ground on this critical project for one of the fastest growing areas of the country. The project will improve safety and reliability, reduce the travel time between Richmond and Raleigh, and increase opportunity for jobs and growth in the Southeast,” FRA Acting Administrator Sarah Feinberg said.
A recent U.S. Department of Transportation report, Beyond Traffic, in turn found that our country will add 70 million more people by 2045, and that the Southeast will indeed absorb a significant portion of that growth. The FEIS includes responses to comments from citizens, elected officials, residents, businesses and other stakeholders that have been involved in the process.
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 and Orlando, have ended in New Orleans since the 2005 storm, which wiped out tracks along the Gulf of Mexico.
A provision in a multiyear transportation bill that was approved in July by the Senate would provide funding for a study of the feasibility of restoring the service, which used to make stops in Alabama and the panhandle of Florida before it headed south to Orlando.
Read more from The Hill.
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 have emerged as a political issue as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who cancelled an earlier proposal to build a new tunnel between New York and New Jersey, runs for president.
Schumer, a top ranking Senate Democrat, said unobligated Hurricane Sandy relief could be used to help pay for repairs to Amtrak’s East River Tunnels, which carry trains between Manhattan and Queens under the city’s East River.
Read more from The Hill.