Transportation News

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

Answers sought in Boston Red Line train incident

NECN reported that MassODOT investigators are looking at possible causes of a Boston Red Line train that departed the station and ran for nine minutes without an operator, yet with passengers on board. The incident occurred early morning on Thursday, December 10. The operator [...]

Longevity of Railroad Retirement beneficiaries

Every three years, the Railroad Retirement Board’s Chief Actuary conducts a study of the longevity of its annuitants, as part of a valuation of future revenues and benefit payments. The following questions and answers summarize the results of the most recent longevity study. [...]

Reform rail/bus equipment purchases, boost jobs

$5.4 billion — that’s how much public transit agencies collectively spend on buses and trains each year. U.S. public transportation authorities are using taxpayers’ dollars to employ Americans. Well, sort of — there’s a lot of room for improvement. Thanks to weak laws and pro [...]

Congress approves new cross-Hudson rail tunnel

Politico New York reported that a Congressional transportation bill that includes provisions to build a new cross-Hudson rail tunnel gained velocity with approval from both the U.S Senate and the House. Read the entire article from Politico New York Dec. 4.

Iowans surveyed support expansion of passenger rail

A new survey reaffirms support for expanding passenger rail service in Iowa. More than half the participants — 56 percent — in a survey conducted by the SMART Transportation Division said passenger rail service in Iowa should increase. Another 77 percent said Amtrak should ad [...]

SMART TD Praises Passage of FAST Act

On December 3, 2015, Congress passed H.R. 22, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST ACT) by overwhelming bipartisan votes of 83 to 16 and 359 to 65 in the Senate and House respectively. The legislation is the first long-term surface transportation reauthorizat [...]

SMART TD praises passage of FAST Act

On December 3, 2015, Congress passed H.R. 22, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST ACT) by overwhelming bipartisan votes of 83 to 16 and 359 to 65 in the Senate and House respectively. The legislation is the first long-term surface transportation reauthorizat [...]

RRB releases 2016 tax rates

The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) released its annual tax rates, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, for the upcoming 2016 year.  The Tier II tax rates are determined annually from a tax rate schedule based on an average account benefits ratio reflecting railroad retirement fund levels [...]

FTA launches transit-oriented initiative

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has launched a nationwide transit-oriented development (TOD) initiative to encourage development near transit systems that boosts the local economy; provides easy access to jobs and serv [...]