Transportation News

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Minn. SLD Qualy, “CP fatalities preventable”

Fox 9 reports that a fatality that occurred last week during a crew change on Canadian Pacific may have been preventable. In an interview with the news channel, Minnesota State Legislative Director Phil Qualy said that CP could have taken action to move the crew changes to a [...]

Amtrak crash in Pa., two dead, many injured

Amtrak train 89 struck a backhoe this morning in Chester, Pa., just south of Philadelphia. Of the 341 passengers on board around 35 were injured. The two that died were the backhoe operator and a supervisor. Family members of those on board can call 800-523-9101 to inquire ab [...]

SMART TD News March issue available now

The March 2016 issue of the SMART Transportation Division News is now available online only. Submissions for the May 2016 issue are being accepted now through April 15. Submissions can be emailed to news_td@smart-union.org. Submissions are also accepted through U.S. mail:     [...]

Effective April 1: New administrator for STD & new provider for LTD

Benefits, Premiums stay the same! On Friday, April 1, 2016, a new insurance administrator for Short Term Disability (STD) and a new insurance provider for Long Term Disability (LTD) will be in place for all Bus and Rail members.  Effective on and after April 1, 2016 STD for B [...]

Metro lines in dire need of repair; could close for 6 months

According to the Washington Post, Metro’s top officials warned that its transit system is in such great need of repair that entire rail lines may have to close for as long as six months. This could potentially impact thousands of daily commuters and worsen traffic congestion [...]

POLITICO mentions SMART TD poll

In their morning transportation tip sheet, POLITICO mentioned a poll recently conducted by DFM Research and SMART Transportation Division. The poll was conducted in Missouri and asked Missourians how they feel about issues in the transportation industry. Click here to read th [...]

Engineer killed on the job during shift change

A Canadian Pacific Engineer Trainee Jeffrey Harsh, was fatally injured early Sunday, in St. Paul, Minn. “The Minnesota legislative board wishes the family of Mr. Harsh, members of locals 525 (Grand Forks, N.D.) and 911 (Minneapolis), our deepest condolences,” said [...]

FTA announces $266 million in funding to improve bus service

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced the opportunity to apply for approximately $266 million in competitive grant funding for bus programs nationwide. The funding consists of $211 million in grants for buses and b [...]

Hudson River rail tunnel project gets funding commitment

Progressive Railroading reported that Amtrak’s Gateway program, including the rebuilding of the Hudson River rail tunnel system, recently obtained commitments for the funding of the creation of an executive oversight committee and for preliminary engineering work. Read [...]

Reminder: Transportation Scholarship application deadline is March 31

The application deadline for scholarships offered by the UTUIA and is March 31, 2019. The UTUIA offers two types of scholarships. The first scholarship is the UTUIA college scholarship for anyone attending college. Fifty scholarships of $2,000 each will be given out for each [...]