The Safety Culture Assessment (SCA) “process and follow-up support hold promise for strengthening railroad safety culture,” states a study released by the Federal Railroad Administration’s Office of Research, Development and Technology (FRA RD&T). Over a two-year period, participating railroads showed improvements in six of 10 Core Elements of Strong Safety Culture, resulting in overall improvement of safety culture.
Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee, has introduced the “Building Rail Across Intercity Networks To Ride Around Interior of the Nation” (BRAIN TRAIN) Act. The legislation authorizes $5 billion annually, for a total of $25 billion over five years, to invest in “high-performance” intercity passenger rail service that will connect communities within a state, across states and around the country.
Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA) is embarking on a new chapter under new President Ron Tindall, while the legacy of predecessor Mike McCarthy will have a lasting impact on the organization and the bi-state St. Louis region.
Wabtec Corp. launched air-filtration innovation BlueFilter® in an effort to provide a clean, healthy environment for passengers on metro and trains. The filter continuously provides fresh and clean air onboard metro and railcars by removing more than 90% of contaminants per air cycle.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has made available about $891 million in federal funding for 12 transit infrastructure projects across the country. The funding “will be used to advance the readiness of projects for a construction grant agreement or a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA). Funding is provided through FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program.”
CSX’s Pride in Service initiative was recognized with Engage for Good’s 2020 Gold Halo Award for Employee Engagement.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors has authorized the release of an updated draft of its 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan (2020 LRTP), a $400 billion, 30-year transportation blueprint for the region. There is a 45-day public review period (through July 13, 2020) to gather comments.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced the availability of $1.25 million in funding to demonstrate and evaluate innovative technologies and designs to improve the state of good repair for transit agencies.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced approximately 15.5 million cloth facial coverings will be sent to the transportation workforce.
Focused Technology Solutions (FTS)—a Marmon/Berkshire Hathaway Company—has entered into another international market sector by partnering with Freightquip, a distributor located in Australia, FTS President Peter Bartek announced.