December 16, 2021 | Amtrak, Headlines, Legislation
(Source: Associated Press, December 15, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — There’s light at the end of the tunnel for passenger rail expansion projects thanks to the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill enacted last month, nearly 20 years after Amtrak’s first Downeaster set...
December 15, 2021 | Amtrak, Commuter Rail, Headlines, Legislation
(Source: Railway Track & Structures, December 14, 2021) NEW YORK — Following President Biden’s signature on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill a few weeks ago, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) helped finalize an agreement with Amtrak where the...
December 14, 2021 | 2-man Crews, Headlines, Legislation
(Source: Freight Waves, December 13, 2021) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Two Democratic state lawmakers in Michigan have introduced legislation that would require freight trains to have at least two individuals operating them. State Rep. Tim Sneller introduced H.B.5596 and...
December 13, 2021 | 2-man Crews, Legislation, News
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, December 10 — On December 2, 2021, a railroad safety bill requiring qualified two-person train crews was introduced in the state of Michigan’s House of Representatives and Senate. House Bill 5596 and Senate Bill 767 read in part: “…a railroad...
December 13, 2021 | Headlines, Legislation
(Source: Progressive Railroading, December 9, 2021) The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 (H.R. 4996), which aims to help ease the nation’s supply-chain challenges. Full story: Progressive...
December 13, 2021 | Headlines, Legislation, PSR
(Source: Press release from the office of U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR), December 1, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) today announced he will not seek re-election in 2022. DeFazio, Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure...
November 30, 2021 | Amtrak, Commuter Rail, DOT, FRA, Headlines, Legislation
(Source: JD Supra, November 23, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, H.R. 3684 (117), was signed into law by President Biden on November 15, 2021. In addition to $66 billion in funding for passenger and freight railroads, the law...
November 22, 2021 | Headlines, Legislation, Teamsters
(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, November 19, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following is a statement from Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on the House’s approval today of the Build Back Better Act (BBBA), which invests in hardworking...
November 16, 2021 | Amtrak, Commuter Rail, Headlines, Legislation
(Source: Transport Topics, November 15, 2021) WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden, a former U.S. Senator nicknamed “Amtrak Joe,” signed a $1 trillion-plus infrastructure policy bill into law Nov. 15 at the White House. The measure’s enactment is described by...
November 16, 2021 | Amtrak, Commuter Rail, Headlines, Legislation
(Source: Railway Age, November 15, 2021) NEW YORK — It’s the big news in Washington and everywhere else in the country. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for which the Biden Administration had fought so hard and made so many deals finally made it through...
