Public relations practitioner Heath Hall, currently a vice president in the marketing and external affairs department of non-profit Innovate Mississippi, is expected to be named Deputy Federal Railroad Administrator, a post that does not require Senate confirmation. His appointment could come as early as June 5.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has extended the implementation dates of Part 243 Minimum Training Standards by one year according to a notice in the May 3 edition of the Federal Register.
Ah, to be a public servant fulfilling the boast of Caesar Augustus: “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.” For the incoming Federal Railroad Administrator, it is best to check ego at the door and accept the pithy guidance of Charles Dickens:
The Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration released a status update today on railroads’ progress implementing positive train control (PTC) systems in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Two months into the Trump Administration, the Washington Post says his nomination process, leading to Senate confirmation, is moving more slowly than any in history. The New York Times describes “dust piling up in key offices … critical power centers in [Trump’s] government devoid of leadership.”
Virginia is seeking a consultant to manage the rail portion of its $1.4 billion Atlantic Gateway multimodal project connecting Washington and Fredericksburg, Va.
If Judge Neil Gorsuch is Senate-confirmed to the Supreme Court, federal regulatory agencies such as the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) could be closer to losing a handy, trusted and effective judicial ally in their interpretations of the statutes they administer.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced Dec. 23 that its “enforcement of federal rail safety rules has led to the highest-ever civil penalty collection rate in the agency’s 50-year history, surpassing last year’s record-breaking rate.”
The Federal Railroad Administration on Dec. 3 issued Safety Advisory 2016-03 “to stress to passenger and commuter railroads the importance of taking action to help mitigate human factor accidents, assist in the investigation of such accidents, and enhance the safety of operations in stations and terminals with stub end tracks.”
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Nov. 22 proposed updates for the passenger train safety standards used in the U.S. as the country looks to regional projects to add high-speed trains that can travel up to 220 mph and replace its aging passenger fleet.