BLET News
FRA announces rechartering of RSAC, adding new voting members to increase diversity of perspectives
(Source: Federal Railroad Administration press release, November 19, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced today that the charter of the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) has been renewed for a two-year period. FRA first established RSAC on March 25, 1996, as a Federal Advisory Committee Act forum for…
Read MoreU.S. ports logjam sees rocketing levels of container thefts
(Source: Supply Chain, November 14, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Stolen shipments are becoming an increasingly common theme, as slow-moving cargo that crawls through backlogged West Coast ports is being targeted by criminals looking to cash-in on consumer electronics, the price of which has been driven up by the semiconductor shortage. On the East Coast, meanwhile,…
Read MoreRailroad Retirement benefits set to increase in 2022
(Source: Railroad Retirement Board press release, October 29, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Most railroad retirement annuities, like social security benefits, will increase in January 2022 due to a rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the third quarter of 2020 to the corresponding period of the current year. Cost-of-living increases are calculated in both the…
Read MoreTruckers, dock workers and railroads line up in three-way battle over vaccine mandate
(Source: The Load Star, November 12, 2021) LONDON — The U.S. surface transport sector is fighting Washington in the courts, while Class I railways are squaring off against labor unions in another legal controversy. Full story: The Load Star Monday, November 15, 2021
Read MoreSTB sets hearings on three major issues
(Source: Trains Magazine, November 12, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Surface Transportation Board has scheduled hearings on three major issues: the CSX acquisition of Pan Am Railways; Amtrak’s bid to operate trains between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., and its reciprocal switching proposal. Full story: Trains Magazine Monday, November 15, 2021
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