AAR urges USDOT on “mode-neutral” guidelines for automation

The trade association of U.S. freight railroads this week urged the federal government to take a balanced approach to automation as a way to a safer, more efficient and more productive industry in the coming years.

DOT’s Chao calls on railroad industry to improve grade crossing safety

WASHINGTON – The Department of Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration are sounding an urgent warning about grade crossing safety, and asking the industry to collaborate on improvements.

Amtrak commits to Southwest Chief via rail in FY19

An Amtrak official told a Senate hearing the agency would continue to operate passenger service through the Southwest on routes exempted from Positive Train Control.

MBTA Green Line Extension breaks ground

A second infusion of federal funding lent a festive atmosphere to kickoff for the latest expansion of Boston’s transit system.

Saving lives where road meets rail

Forty-five years of Gem State safety effort is reaffirmed by crew members and state troopers climbing aboard a pair of Union Pacific locomotives at Coeur d’Alene Junction, Idaho, on the morning of Sept. 13, 2017.

Move over TIGER, USDOT ready to BUILD

The U.S. Department of Transportation is retiring the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program name.

States risk billions in rail funding without FTA safety OK

The Federal Transit Administration said states that miss the deadline for certifying rail safety oversight programs are risking billions of dollars in government funding.

Acting FRA chief Hall resigns

Heath Hall, the acting administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, the nation’s rail safety watchdog, resigned Feb. 11 amid allegations that he was working a second job as a public relations consultant.

Commentary

Trump to Schumer: “Drop dead”

“Non-existent”: This is the exact term the United States Department of Transportation used to describe any commitment the federal government has toward funding the ambitious, multi-billion-dollar Gateway Program, which would vastly improve passenger rail access to New York City, the nation’s busiest transportation hub.

USDOT repeals ECP brake rule

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Dec. 4 repealed a 2015 Federal Railroad Administration rulemaking requiring freight railroads to employ electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes on certain trains hauling hazardous flammable commodities such as ethanol and crude oil in DOT-117 tank cars.

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