Batory picked for FRA chief
The White House on July 11 announced that President Donald Trump has nominated Ronald L. Batory, who recently retired as President and Chief Operating Officer of Conrail, as the next Federal Railroad Administrator.
FRA
Allowing market forces to improve rail safety
Legislation to improve rail safety through amplified use of the free-market forces of competition and innovation has been introduced in the Senate by Surface Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Deb Fischer (R-Neb.).
Hall named FRA Deputy Administrator
The Federal Railroad Administration has named public relations practitioner Heath Hall as Deputy Federal Railroad Administrator, a post that does not require Senate confirmation. Hall will serve as Acting Administrator and is known to USDOT Secretary Elaine Chao from her days with the Deputy DOT Secretary’s office and the Peace Corps.
FRA extends Part 243 implementation deadline by full year
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.
Commentary
FRA’s new chief: Check ego at the door
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:
Commentary
Who will Trump nominate? Perhaps …
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 seeks project manager for Atlantic Gateway
Virginia is seeking a consultant to manage the rail portion of its $1.4 billion Atlantic Gateway multimodal project connecting Washington and Fredericksburg, Va.
Commentary
STB, FRA judicial ally under attack
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.
2016 FRA civil penalty collection rate sets record
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.”
Crew member fatigue faulted in Union Pacific Hoxie accident
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) named crew member fatigue as the probable cause of a 2014 Union Pacific (UP) Hoxie, Ark., accident that killed two crew members and seriously injured two others.