Transportation News

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FRA moving to require crew respirators

WASHINGTON — Railroads will be required by the Federal Railroad Administration to provide respirators for train and engine workers hauling hazardous materials. The Rail Safety Improvement Act mandated that the FRA impose such a requirement through a rulemaking, which is [...]

Diabetes: A rampant and devastating disease

Diabetes is a lifelong disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. It can affect your heart, kidneys and eyes, and is the number one cause for amputation and blindness.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in every 10 Americans now suffe [...]

Superintendent appointments at UP

Union Pacific has announced the following assignments to superintendent-transportation services positions, effective Nov. 15: Lance Hardisty will become superintendent-transportation services, El Paso, Texas, moving from a similar position in St. Paul, Minn. Rod Doerr will be [...]

BNSF creates new post of president, COO

BNSF Railway executive vice president Carl Ice has been promoted to the newly created position of president and chief operating officer, with responsibility for rail operations, marketing and technology, BNSF announced Nov. 1. Ice is a former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe e [...]

Rail sickness benefits now available online

Rail workers may now file biweekly claims for railroad sickness benefits directly online with the Railroad Retirement Board. The agency said rail workers may now access this online service at www.rrb.gov by clicking on “Benefit Online Services.” The RRB implemente [...]

Federal HSR aid now tops $10 billion

A new round of federal funding will aid development of 54 separate high-speed rail lines in 23 states, says the Department of Transportation. Those projects will share $2.4 billion in newly approved federal funding announced last week by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. T [...]

Labor-friendly lawmakers fight for YOU!

By UTU International President Mike Futhey When UTU members vote for labor-friendly candidates, we are voting for our union’s access to the highest levels of government — and improved opportunity for better wages, benefits and working conditions. Labor-friendly ca [...]

Amtrak’s vision for N.E. Corridor: Bold, fast

Faster than a bird and a plane is the vision of Amtrak President Joseph Boardman for future Amtrak high-speed service throughout the Northeast megalopolis, north from Washington, D.C., to Boston — a transportation corridor home to almost 50 million residents that repres [...]

‘Buy America’ breach costs Texas light rail

The Federal Transit Administration has placed a hold on $900 million in federal grants destined to Houston’s light-rail transit system – Houston Metro — for alleged violation of “Buy America” procurement regulations, reports the Bureau of National Affairs in its BNA Tra [...]

70 new crash-worthy locos for Amtrak

Siemens, an international engineering firm with its U.S. headquarters in Washington, D.C., and plants throughout the U.S., has won a $466 million contract from Amtrak to build 70 Sprinter ACS-64 electric locomotives for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and Keystone Corridor. [...]