Teamsters join legal challenge to presidential executive orders that impair union and employee rights
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, June 13, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters joined with 12 other labor unions in bringing a lawsuit to stop the implementation of three executive orders issued by the President on May 25. Two of the orders impair long-established federal labor relations procedures by limiting…
Read MoreU.S. railroads’ upward traffic trend continued in Week 23
(Source: Progressive Railroading 06/14/18) U.S. rail traffic growth continued in the week ending June 9, with railroads logging 561,061 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.2 percent increase compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data. Total carloads for the week rose 2.8 percent to 271,641 units, while intermodal volume climbed…
Read MoreFTA OKs Oregon’s transit-rail safety oversight program
(Source: Progressive Railroading 06/14/18) Oregon is the latest state to have its transit-rail safety oversight program certified by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Under federal law, states with transit-rail systems have to get their safety oversight programs certified by April 15, 2019. To achieve certification, a state must establish a safety oversight agency that’s financially and legally…
Read MoreCSX settles EEOC suit over physical fitness tests for $3.2 million
(Source: Bloomberg News, June 12, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — CSX Transportation Inc. and the U.S. government asked a federal judge to approve an agreement settling sex bias allegations for $3.2 million and other relief. The government alleged that CSX’s physical abilities testing discriminated against women as a class. Full story: Transport Topics Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Read MoreBNSF files request for PTC extension due to interoperability delays with other railroads
(Source: BNSF Railway press release, June 13, 2018) FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) announced in December 2017 that it had fully installed and was operating under Positive Train Control (PTC) on all mandated subdivisions in advance of the December 31, 2018 deadline. Today, it announced that it nonetheless submitted a request to the…
Read MoreTransportation bill would require Amtrak to employ one ticketing agent in each state
(Source: Progressive Railroading 06/11/2018) U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has secured language in a federal transportation appropriations bill that would ensure Amtrak employs at least one ticketing agent in every state. Manchin lobbied for the measure after Amtrak announced it was terminating its only ticketing agent position in West Virginia. Although Amtrak sells most of its tickets…
Read MoreSound Transit slates meetings on Lynnwood Link extension station designs
(Source: Progressive Railroading 06/11/2018) Sound Transit has scheduled three open houses to provide an update on station designs for the Lynnwood Link light-rail extension. The agency has made a series of “design refinements” to cut costs for the 8.5-mile extension, Sound Transit officials said in a press release. The line will run from Seattle’s Northgate neighborhood…
Read MoreAAR sends letter to U.S. mayors to stress freight railroads’ local impacts
(Source: Progressive Railroading 06/11/2018) The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on Friday sent a letter to numerous U.S. mayors highlighting the freight-rail industry’s business and external relations efforts, including its economic impact, safety record and technological gains. The letter cites freight railroads’ ongoing work to install positive train control and references the AskRail app that was developed with the International Association…
Read MoreUSDOT names 26 proposed recipients of initial INFRA grants
(Source: Progressive Railroading 06/11/2018) The U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday announced plans to allocate nearly $1.5 billion in proposed grants for 26 projects through the new Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grant program. INFRA grants “support the Trump Administration’s commitment to fix the nation’s crumbling infrastructure by creating opportunities for all levels of government and the…
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