Transportation News

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Long-term disability program forthcoming

The trustees of the SMART Voluntary Short-Term Disability program are pleased to announce that they have reached a tentative agreement with Anthem Life Insurance Co. on a group long-term disability plan for our bus and rail members. The plan is intended to provide a seamless [...]

Pa. SLD seeks support for two-person crew bill

Transportation Division Pennsylvania State Legislative Director Paul Pokrowka had a meeting with Pennsylvania House of Representatives Transportation Committee Chairperson John Taylor (R-Dist. 177) Feb. 25 seeking his support of a two-person rail crew law in the state. Taylor [...]

Southwest Chief rail bill passes first committee

DENVER – A bipartisan bill designed to help grow economic opportunity and expand transportation options in southern Colorado cleared its first hurdle Feb. 24, passing the Senate Local Government Committee by a vote of 5-2. The bill, S.B. 15-176, would continue to provide need [...]

Safety Team member assisting NTSB in Calif.

The SMART Transportation Division’s National Safety Team has assigned one of its members to assist the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation of the crash and derailment of a Metrolink commuter train in Ventura County in California Feb. 24. Twenty-eight peo [...]

Officers are here to help, membership comes first

By Adhi Reddy, Transportation Division Vice President – Bus –  The year 2015 is a special one for our organization because we left our First SMART Convention as a united membership. Together, with one voice, we are a stronger body throughout the nation. All of our newly [...]

Railroad Retirement explain survivor benefits

Monthly benefits may be payable under the Railroad Retirement Act to the surviving widow(er), children, and certain other dependents of a railroad employee if the employee was “insured” under that act at the time of death. Lump-sum death benefits may also be payable to qualif [...]

Metrolink train hits truck, derails in Calif.

A Metrolink train derailed early Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Oxnard, Calif., after slamming into a truck that was in flames. Twenty-eight people were injured, four critically. The driver of the truck fled the scene and was taken into custody, officials said. The train was going 79 m [...]

Two-Person Crew Bills Introduced in Neb., Wyo.

Legislation requiring two-person railroad crews in the states of Nebraska and Wyoming have been introduced in the respective state legislatures. Nebraska State Legislative Director Bob Borgeson reports that state Legislative Bill 192, legislation requiring freight train crews [...]

Rail Worker Safety Bills Marked Up in Wash. State

Members of the SMART Transportation Division’s Washington State Legislative Board have been quite busy in recent weeks. Working with the board members and state emergency management officials, state senators and representatives of the Washington State Legislature Jan. 29 intr [...]