Tag: Sen. Richard Blumenthal

Home>News>Sen. Richard Blumenthal

triple_trailerThree U.S. senators said they will fight a proposal in Congress that would allow an increase in the length of twin-trailer trucks allowed on U.S. roadways.

At a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), announced their opposition to a federal mandate that would allow trucks to pull double 33-foot trailers — up from the current limit of 28 feet — on the nation’s highways.

Read more from Progressive Railroading.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced railroad safety legislation Sept. 10 that continues dialogue on the nation’s rail safety laws.
S. 2784, the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2014, contains language that requires freight trains be crewed with at least one federally certified conductor and one federally certified engineer. The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers fully supports that requirement.
The issue of single-person train operations has gained national prominence recently when BNSF Railway proposed a contract to some of their operating employees that would remove conductors from trains, a proposal that was voted down this week by the affected employees. BNSF had a substantial train accident in Casselton, N.D., involving a crude oil train Dec. 30 where two-person crews played a vital role in working with first responders to protect the public.
SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich has cautioned that one-person train operations are unsafe. “No one would permit an airliner to fly with just one pilot, even though they can fly themselves. Trains, which cannot operate themselves, should be no different,” he said.
Legislation requiring a minimum of two persons on trains, H.R. 3040, is pending in the House of Representatives. This bill was introduced by U.S. Reps. Michael Michaud (D-Maine) and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) last year and has 80 co-sponsors.
“We thank Sen. Blumenthal for including this provision which maintains current practices. While America’s railroads generally operate with a minimum of one conductor and one engineer, there are a handful of rouge operators who are operating unsafe, single-person trains. This legislation will put an end to that unsafe practice,” Previsich said.
The legislation also requires Class I and passenger railroads to install audio and image recording devices in locomotive cabs. “We plan to work with the Senate to try to get this unwarranted proposal removed from the bill,” Previsich said.
An overview of S. 2784 can be found here.
To read the complete text of the bill, click here.

PrintU.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced railroad safety legislation Sept. 10 that continues dialogue on the nation’s rail safety laws.

S. 2784, the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2014, contains language that requires freight trains be crewed with at least one federally certified conductor and one federally certified engineer. The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers fully supports that requirement.

The issue of single-person train operations has gained national prominence recently when BNSF Railway proposed a contract to some of their operating employees that would remove conductors from trains, a proposal that was voted down this week by the affected employees. BNSF had a substantial train accident in Casselton, N.D., involving a crude oil train Dec. 30 where two-person crews played a vital role in working with first responders to protect the public.

SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich has cautioned that one-person train operations are unsafe. “No one would permit an airliner to fly with just one pilot, even though they can fly themselves. Trains, which cannot operate themselves, should be no different,” he said.

Legislation requiring a minimum of two persons on trains, H.R. 3040, is pending in the House of Representatives. This bill was introduced by U.S. Reps. Michael Michaud (D-Maine) and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) last year and has 80 co-sponsors.

“We thank Sen. Blumenthal for including this provision which maintains current practices. While America’s railroads generally operate with a minimum of one conductor and one engineer, there are a handful of rogue operators who are operating unsafe, single-person trains. This legislation will put an end to that unsafe practice,” Previsich said.

The legislation also requires Class I and passenger railroads to install audio and image recording devices in locomotive cabs. “We plan to work with the Senate to try to get this unwarranted proposal removed from the bill,” Previsich said.

An overview of S. 2784 can be found here.

To read the complete text of the bill, click here.

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) Sept. 10 announced a comprehensive overhaul of rail safety laws and protocols to enforce and enhance safety and reliability following a series of high profile rail catastrophes in New York, Connecticut and nationwide that has undermined public trust in rail infrastructure, safety protocols, management and oversight. This legislation, the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2014, will impact Long Island Railroad, Metro-North, New Jersey Transit, Amtrak and other passenger railroads across the country.

Accidents, derailments and severe service disruptions, including the deadly December 2013 Spuyten Duyvil derailment, the preventable death of Metro-North worker Robert Luden in West Haven, Conn., in May 2013, the May 2013 derailment of a Metro-North train near Bridgeport that injured many and caused extensive service disruptions and delays, and the numerous catastrophic derailments and explosions of trains transporting crude oil, and other high profile rail catastrophes nationwide have exposed a glaring need for comprehensive reform of the nation’s rail safety laws and protocols.

Schumer and Blumenthal’s bill puts into law many of the recommendations found in the Federal Railroad Administration’s “Operation Deep Dive” report assessing the safety and training plans and practices by Metro-North, as well as the findings of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s own blue-ribbon panel study released last week.

“The deadly Metro North crash, plus so many others across the country, have exposed time-and-again that our passenger and freight railroads must do more to promote a ‘culture of safety’, above all other priorities,” said Sen. Schumer. “That is why Sen. Blumenthal and I have worked to develop a comprehensive rail safety bill that will take the lessons of this tragic crash, plus the expert recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board and others, and make them into tough requirements for our railroads, including a mandate for inward and outward facing cameras on all trains, new requirements for increased rail inspections, a significant boost in fines for safety violations, and more. For too long, railroads have failed to completely heed the lessons of fatal train crashes and this legislation will change that.”

“This major, comprehensive measure will help American railroads move toward 21st century safety and reliability,” said Sen. Blumenthal. “Rigorous public oversight and scrutiny are critical, and that’s where this bill begins. We must assure that safety and reliability standards receive real enforcement, not mere lip service. The watchdog agencies must bite, not just bark, and whistleblowers must be protected. We need a national rail strategy to stop the cascading catastrophes, derailments, spectacular crashes, senseless worker injuries and deaths, and needless mundane delays that all undermine public trust and confidence. This measure seeks to restore public trust and confidence and assure that railroads reflect what commuters and communities demand – safety and reliability, and on time performance, as complementary not conflicting goals. The bill also lays the groundwork for investments in important technology like positive train control (PTC) and other upgrades that are proven to save lives and enhance service. They must be followed by other investments that hopefully will gain bipartisan support, because they benefit our economy and all Americans.”

The bill will:

  • Bolster the FRA’s (FRA) oversight of our country’s rail systems by authorizing an increase in funding for FRA’s safety and operations work.
  • Require greater FRA accountability for unmet statutory mandates and open NTSB recommendations through regular quarterly reports to Congress.
  • Require the installation and implementation of technology like inward- and outward-facing cameras, alerters and redundant signal protection.
  • Strengthen FRA’s enforcement powers by increasing civil penalties for those who engage in unsafe activity. Civil penalties would be at least $13,000 and up to $500,000 for any safety sensitive violations, and a minimum of $1 million for grossly negligent violations or repeated violations that cause death or injury.
  • Improve railroad operating practices by requiring enhanced inspection practices by commuter railroads.
  • Require greater use of modern inspection technology and stepped up enforcement of speed restrictions.
  • Provide resources for passenger and commuter railroads so they can implement critical technology like PTC by December 2015 deadline.
  • Require coordination between DOT and the FCC to ensure passenger and commuter railroads have access to necessary spectrum to make PTC operate effectively.
  • Require expedited FRA action on the development of rules governing fatigue management plans for railroads.
  • Require safer operating practices for the transportation of crude oil and flammable liquids.
  • Require the national roll out of a confidential close call reporting initiative and the participation by freight, passenger and commuter railroads in the program.
  • Ensure the openness and transparency of railroad safety information.

WASHINGTON — The nation’s top railroad regulator drew withering criticism Tuesday for his agency’s record of safety enforcement against Metro-North Railroad.

The Federal Railroad Administration’s use of its power to fine railroads for safety violations “is a mockery of justice,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal with some heat in an interview after tangling with FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee hearing.

Read the complete story at The Connecticut Post.