Transportation News

Visit the digital archive of the SMART-TD News (PDFs)

FRA, Maine DOT to test rail trespassing system

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded a research grant for the city of Brunswick, Maine, the Northern New England Passenger Authority (NNEPRA) and the Maine Department of Transportation, among other partners, to participate in a field research program to develop a [...]

GAO issues PTC report, urges flexibility

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) made public its report on positive train control (PTC) implementation and issued a trio of recommendations including extending the deadline, approving alternative safety technologies and granting provisional certification of PTC [...]

Our regional meeting workshops were a success

By Bonnie Morr, Vice President, Bus –  I was recently informed of the passing of one of our best bus vice presidents. Kenny Moore was the vice president that helped us at Local 23 to become part of this great organization. Kenny Moore was my mentor. He was active in Washingto [...]

Glen Johnson to head Human Rights Committee

Vice Local Chairperson and Legislative Rep. Glen E. Johnson has been elevated to the position of director of the SMART Transportation Division’s Human Rights Committee following the retirement of former director Frank Hickman Aug. 31. A member of Local 937 at Mart, Texas, Joh [...]

Six die in Canada train, bus crash

Six people were killed after a train crashed into a double-decker city bus in Canada’s capital Ottawa during rush hour on Wednesday, an emergency official said. The driver of the bus and five passengers died in the crash, according to Craig Watson, the transit union’s p [...]

Rails sticking to their bets on oil boom

As 57,000 miles of U.S. crude pipelines threaten to lure business from railroads, Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific Corp. are sticking to their bet on the nation’s energy boom. Domestic oil that was significantly cheaper than imported crude for the last two years [...]

Register with ‘Your Track to Health’ to win iPad

The “Your Track to Health” brand represents the wide array of health and welfare benefits and resources available to eligible railroad employees and their dependents. Whenever you see “Your Track to Health” used on communications and in materials, you [...]

Winners of PAC contest announced

The SMART Transportation Division PAC contest recently concluded this past Labor Day with a total of $30,445 raised in PAC contributions. The person who raised the most amount for PAC was James E. Carrico, Jr., of Local 333 of North Vernon, Ind., with $5,660 raised. Coming in [...]

BNSF spending $125M on Okla. projects

Railroad operator BNSF Railways Co. announced plans Monday to spend $125 million expanding and improving their system in Oklahoma. The projects include a new bypass connection at the Cherokee Yard in West Tulsa and extending a siding area on their tracks near Mannford. Read t [...]

Bankrupt Maine railroad seeks help with legal fees

The trustee for Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway Ltd. wants U.S. taxpayers to pay the bankrupt railroad’s legal fees, according to a motion filed Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The motion asks the court to carve out $5 million of the anticipated proceeds from se [...]