Rail Industry News
Amtrak survived Richard Nixon — Can it overcome Donald Trump?
(Source: Wired, February 15, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amtrak was designed to fail quietly. Richard Nixon and his advisors had such little faith in American passenger rail that one of their biggest concerns was just making sure they didn’t catch the blame when it...
Rail crunch leaves oil, wheat stranded out on Canada’s prairies
(Source: Bloomberg, February 15, 2018) NEW YORK — A shortage of rail cars in Canada is leaving grain and oil shipments stranded on the Prairies, sending crude prices plummeting and leaving farmers in a cash crunch. Full story: Bloomberg
Amtrak CEO: How we are making railroad safer
(Source: The Hill opinion column by Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson, February 14, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Recent high profile accidents have understandably shined a spotlight on Amtrak. Each reflect different situations and unique risks, and we should be careful not to...
As CSX workforce shrinks, accidents pile up and morale plummets
(Source: Jacksonville Business Journal, February 14, 2018) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The rate of accidents involving CSX Corp. trains have been rising as its workforce has been dramatically slashed, with some workers saying morale at the Jacksonville-based railroad is at a...
In China, bullet trains are transforming the world’s biggest migration
(Source: Bloomberg, February 11, 2018) NEW YORK — Millions of Chinese cram onto trains to make the annual pilgrimage home for the Lunar New Year holiday. It’s a crowded and often uncomfortable experience that is rapidly being transformed by the country’s push into the...
Former CP Rail IT worker sentenced to 1 year in prison for hacking into company network
(Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune, February 13, 2018) MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A former Canadian Pacific Railway information technology professional was sentenced to a year and a day in prison on Tuesday after he intentionally damaged the railway’s computer network in...
Missouri man accused of trying to disable Amtrak train pleads not guilty
(Source: Omaha World-Herald, February 13, 2018) LINCOLN, Neb. — The lawyer for a Missouri man accused of trying to disable or derail an Amtrak train says his client may not have been mentally aware of what he was doing. Full story: Omaha World-Herald
Chicago’s CTA reaches tentative deal with ATU
(Source: Chicago Tribune, February 13, 2018) CHICAGO — The unions that represent CTA’s rail and bus workers have reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement with the agency, which includes raises and retroactive pay for workers, according to the bus drivers’...
Opinion: NJ Transit needs fundamental reform
(Source: Bergen Record opinion column by Rep. Bob Gordon, February 11, 2018. He is a New Jersey state senator (D-38) and chairs the state’s Senate Transportation Committee.) BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. — Over the past decade, NJ Transit went from one of the finest mass...
NJ Transit remains far short of completing safety system, report shows
(Source: Bergen Record, February 13, 2018) BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. — NJ Transit has a lot of catching up to do on a crash-avoidance system it's required to finish by the end of the year. Full story: www.northjersey.com
Trump budget proposes again to cut federal funding for Amtrak in half, which Congress has rejected
(Source: USA Today, February 12, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump proposed again in his budget to cut Amtrak subsidies nearly in half despite a series of accidents that led some lawmakers to propose more funding for the passenger railroad. Trump's budget...
Schumer calls on DOT to reconsider sleep apnea rule
(Source: Progressive Railroading, February 13, 2018) U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) yesterday called on the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to reverse its decision to drop a proposed rule that could have required railroads to test train engineers for...
Senate confirms Ron Batory as FRA Administrator
(Source: Reuters, February 13, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed late on Tuesday former Conrail president Ron Batory as the top U.S. rail safety official as a series of deadly railroad accidents have raised concerns. Full story: Reuters
Railroads speak out: Don’t pull the plug on NAFTA
(Source: Progressive Railroading, February 2018 issue) Class I and freight-rail industry executives are continuing to raise concerns about the economic turmoil that would occur if renegotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) break down and...
Two watchdogs have a big plan to save NJ Transit. Will it work?
(Source: www.nj.com, February 5, 2018) NEWARK, N.J. — A pair of state lawmakers who investigated NJ Transit's problems for 15 months have written NJ Transit reform bills that could be the foundation for Gov. Elect Phil Murphy's pledge to rebuild the agency he has...
Northeast Corridor tunnel backers feel shorted by Trump plan
(Source: Associated Press, February 12, 2018) NEWARK, N.J. — Proponents of a $13 billion project to build a new rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey seen as critical for the future of the nation's busiest rail corridor are panning President Donald Trump's...
Trump infrastructure plan bumps Gateway tunnel project to back of the line
(Source: Bergen Record, February 13, 2018) BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. — Two years ago, a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River into New York's Penn Station was considered one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country. Yet the $12.7 billion Gateway project...
Amtrak funding slashed in half under Trump spending plan
(Source: Fortune, February 13, 2018) President Donald Trump’s spending plan released Monday proposes slashing the federal subsidy for Amtrak passenger rail service by nearly half. The proposal for Amtrak funding would drop from $1.495 billion to $738 million in the...
Rail Passengers Association urges American public to oppose Amtrak budget cuts
(Source: Rail Passengers Association press release, February 12, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House today released a disappointing package of infrastructure initiatives and transportation budget cuts, including once again advancing plans to gut Amtrak’s...
Trump budget plan for 2019 defunds Amtrak’s long-distance routes
(Source: CBS News, February 13, 2018) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House budget, released Monday, proposes that "States begin to share the operating subsidy costs of Long Distance routes with the Federal Government." It suggests cutting the federal subsidy for Amtrak...
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