Transportation News

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

New England State Legislative Board meets with Sen. Warren

SMART TD State Legislative Director of the New England States, George Casey, reports that he and Assistant State Legislative Director Chris Weldon attended a presentation given by Senator Elizabeth Warren (Mass. – D) that focused on “America’s Agenda.” [...]

RIP Bob Bullington, former Georgia SLD

Brother Robert Morgan”Bob” Bullington Jr., passed away on August 18, 2016 at the age of 92.  A friend and mentor to countless Brothers and Sisters of the UTU (now known as the SMART TD), Bob worked for over forty years in the rail industry, and served our members [...]

Furloughed members: Denver Transit hiring train operators

Denver Transit Operators, a commuter line transit service located in Denver, Colorado, has openings for commuter train operators. Denver Transit recently joined SMART TD Local 202 in Denver.  For additional information on these jobs, and to apply, please click here.    

CP violates FCC rules, fined $1.2 million

According to Progressive Railroading, Canadian Pacific (CP) has been fined $1.2 million by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for operating 100 wireless radio facilities in the U.S. without FCC approval. Read the entire story here.

Transit workers: FTA seeking your comments!

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is encouraging all transit members to submit their comments and ideas to the FTA to assist in their goal of preventing transit worker assault. “..the  FTA is seeking public recommendations on how best to prevent and mitigate assa [...]

Two crew members stop fire from spreading

Add this occurrence to thousands just like it – examples of why two crew members are absolutely necessary to safely operate a locomotive.  In a recent news story from NBC Montana, both crew members worked to disengage cargo cars, effectively stopping the fire from sprea [...]

FTA issues final rule on safety program

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued the final rule for the Public Transportation Safety Program that establishes procedural rules for FTA to administer a comprehensive safety program to improve the safety of federally-funded public transportation systems. The fina [...]

EEOC orders Amtrak to pay $112k for discrimination

Federal Agency Charged Railroad Company Refused to Hire Qualified Machinist Due to Epilepsy SEATTLE — The Washington, D.C.-based National Passenger Railroad Corporation, better known as Amtrak, will pay $112,000 and provide other relief to settle a federal disability di [...]

Women in railroad history: 1943

During WWII, tens of thousands of women stepped up to learn and work in industries traditionally occupied by men, including the rail industry. These women had to quickly learn on the job, motivated by the need to support their families while their husbands were serving overse [...]