Transportation News

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Previsich, Wytkind want increased rail funding

Amtrak links the Hudson Valley to the rest of North America. From Hudson and Albany, you can take the train to western New York, to New York City and to Canada. And people do just that: Last year, Amtrak’s Empire Service alone brought more than a million riders through [...]

FRA proposes testing for MOW employees

In response to Congress’ mandate in the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA), the Federal Railroad Administration is proposing to expand the scope of its alcohol and drug regulations to cover employees who perform maintenance-of-way (MOW) activities. In addition, FRA is [...]

RRB submits annual financial reports to Congress

The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is required by law to submit annual financial reports to Congress on the financial condition of the railroad retirement system and the railroad unemployment insurance system. These reports must also include recommendations for any financing [...]

AAR issues safety alert: Razors on appliance again

An act of apparent malicious intent was discovered on July 30, 2014, when a Union Pacific carman reported finding two razor blades glued to the air valve of an Amtrak car during a routine repair. Association of American Railroads Assistant Vice President – Technical Services  [...]

NARP enters Supreme Court case on behalf of Amtrak

Responding to increasingly serious delays across the national train network, the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP), represented by the Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), will file an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” brief with the United Stat [...]

DOT expands program to help vets get bus op jobs

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced today that its waiver program that helps experienced veterans and active duty personnel transition into civilian jobs as commercial truck and bus drivers has bee [...]

1,000 turn out for SEPTA driver's funeral

IT SAYS something about Kelly Morris that his funeral was attended by nearly 1,000 people, that SEPTA, his employer, had to use two buses to bring co-workers to the services. What it says is that Kelly James Morris was an exceptional human being, a man who captured the hearts [...]

Retired member supervises boardwalk trains

With a yellow hat and golf cart emblazoned with his nickname, John “Gig” Gigliotti has perhaps become as iconic on the Wildwood Boardwalk as the yellow tram cars he oversees. A former Conrail train conductor, the 85-year-old West Deptford resident returns to his N [...]

Former Auxiliary President Edythe Walter dies

Edythe Mae Walter, former International president of the Auxiliary of the United Transportation Union, passed away peacefully on July 30, 2014. She was 78. She is survived by her husband, Bob Walter, with whom she celebrated 60 years of marriage on June 22. They also shared t [...]

WSLC endorses two-person rail crew legislation

Attendees to the Washington State Labor Council Convention in Wenatchee, Wash., July 22-24, unanimously endorsed a resolution supporting legislation for two-person rail crews on train operations throughout the state, SMART Transportation Division Washington Legislative Direct [...]