Transportation News

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Ohio SLB gives update on rail safety legislation

SMART TD’s Ohio State Legislative Board has given an update on H.B. 186 — a comprehensive rail safety bill that addresses two-person crews, safe walkways, rail yard lighting and blocked crossings — that was introduced to the Ohio House Transportation Committee on June 18. Ohi [...]

New head of National Mediation Board named

The National Mediation Board (NMB) announced Monday that Linda A. Puchala has been named chair of the board, effective July 1. Gerald Fauth III and Kyle Fortson remain as board members. Puchala was confirmed as an NMB member by the United States Senate on May 21, 2009. She ha [...]

Safe Freight Act two-person crew bill introduced in U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON (June 26, 2019) — U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today introduced the Safe Freight Act, (S.1979) legislation that would promote rail safety by mandating at least two-person crews on all freight trains in the United States. The bill [...]

U.S. House acts to block LNG transport by rail

The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday, June 24, passed an amendment that would block President Donald Trump’s Executive Order in April to the Department of Transportation to fast-track the allowance of liquid natural gas (LNG) to be transported by rail. “In its ne [...]

Judge dismisses shareholder suit against CSX

A Florida judge has dismissed a lawsuit that three CSX shareholders had filed last summer against the carrier regarding the 2017 hiring of late CEO E. Hunter Harrison. The matter was settled by Virginia state law, which required that the suit be dismissed after a committee of [...]

President Previsich testifies before House subcommittee

SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich testifies Thursday afternoon before the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich appeared before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Railroads, [...]

Reporting events that can affect Railroad Retirement benefits

Rights to benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act also carry responsibilities for reporting events that may affect the payment of these benefits to the employee or to members of the employee’s family. If these events are not reported, benefit overpayments can occur that ha [...]

Legislative update: Where national bills of importance stand

Here’s a quick update on where legislation important to SMART Transportation Division members stands on a national level: The Safe Freight Act in the U.S. House (H.R. 1748), national two-person crew legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Don Young in March, has 60 co-spons [...]