Transportation News

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

Calif. governor signs two-person train crew bill into law

Governor Jerry Brown of California September 8, 2015, signed into law bipartisan legislation requiring that all freight trains and light engines are operated by a crew of at least two individuals. SMART Transportation Division National Legislative Director, John Risch, praise [...]

TTD: modernizing our transportation system

By TTD President Edward Wytkind Decades of wrong-headed ideology and public policies backed by the corporate lobby and extremists have dramatically altered America’s economic landscape. Advancements made by generations of workers — including fair wages and decent benefits, sa [...]

Mo. Governor Nixon stands with workers

By Missouri Governor Jay Nixon We celebrate Labor Day to honor American workers and the role they continue to play in creating a strong and prosperous nation. Labor Day reminds us that the rights won by the labor movement benefit all workers, and calls us to keep fighting to [...]

Governors coalition pushes for transportation bill

Governors from several states are pressing Congress to pass a long-term surface transportation bill before the current legislation expires Oct. 29. Last week, the Coalition of Northeastern Governors (CONEG) sent a letter to leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructu [...]

Working in a right-to-work state

Almost half of states in the United States today are right to work states. ‘Right to work’ is a statute or law that prohibits union security agreements between labor unions and employers. These laws govern the extent to which an established union cannot require an [...]

FTA seeks comments on XPEDITE initiative

FTA is undertaking an effort to speed up planning, approval and delivery of FTA capital investments and better support innovative financing methods that support capital investments in transit. The multi-faceted Expedited Public Transportation Improvement (XPEDITE) Initiative [...]

University of Illinois opens cutting-edge rail lab

By DOT Assistant Secretary Greg Winfree It’s no secret that freight rail and rail transit services are growing. With transit ridership breaking records year after year and expanded domestic fuel production putting more energy freight on the network, the rail industry in [...]

Advocates hope to restore rail service cut by Katrina

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 a [...]

Schumer: use Sandy relief funds to fix NYC rail tunnels

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 [...]

Charlotte streetcar ridership higher than expected

Average weekday ridership along the Charlotte Area Transit System’s (CATS) new streetcar line came in at 1,507 passengers, which was 67 percent higher than expected for the first two weeks of operations, agency officials announced Tuesday. Known as the CityLYNX Gold Lin [...]