Editor’s Note: The following story was posted on the Rail Talk area of the BNSF website. It is shared here in its entirety, with permission. We think it presents a useful example of what the rail industry is doing as an essential service in the national supply chain, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. — William C. Vantuono
Editor’s Note: The following story was posted on the BizNS area of the Norfolk Southern website. It is shared here in its entirety, with permission. We think it presents a useful example of what the rail industry is doing to protect the employees who keep the trains moving from the COVID-19 pandemic. — William C. Vantuono
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law by President Trump on March 27, boosts unemployment and sickness benefits for railroad workers impacted by the pandemic.
President Trump on March 27 signed H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, into law, following swift passage in the House of Representatives by voice vote, and one day after the U.S. Senate passed the bill in a unanimous 96-0 vote. The CARES Act is a $2 trillion stimulus package that addresses the devastating economic and societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes many funding measures that directly benefit the railway industry—all modes, freight and passenger.
In response to a Petition from the Association of American Railroads (AAR), American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) and American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a 60-day emergency waiver for certain requirements of FRA’s rail safety regulations, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The petitioners, on behalf of their member railroads, requested relief from certain requirements of 49 CFR Parts 213, 214, 217, 218, 219, 220, 228, 229, 232, 234, 236, 239, 240, and 242.
RR Mergers & Acquisitions has announced the sale of Allpress & Moore Railroad Signal Contractors to CDL Electric Company.
A Union Pacific locomotive engineer based in the Pacific Northwest who had just received his notice of exemption from travel restrictions proudly told Railway Age Contributing Editor Bruce Kelly, “We’ve gone from building America to saving it.” This UP field employee in Train & Engine Service has embraced his railroad’s slogan, “Building America,” and his heartfelt statement takes it to a higher level—from motto to mantra.
REMSA announced its 2020 Undergraduate Scholarship Program. This year REMSA is awarding one President’s Scholarship in the amount of $7,500 as well as one $5,000 runner-up scholarship, and one individual scholarship at $2,500. The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, May 29, 2020.
MTA Metro-North Railroad President Cathy Rinaldi announced that as of March 14 Metro-North’s full Harlem and Hudson lines are operating in Positive Train Control (PTC), bringing Metro-North’s total of PTC-equipped route miles to 189, which represents 68% of its mileage.
Bentley Systems, Inc., has acquired GroupBC, a U.K. SaaS software innovator. For more than 20 years, GroupBC and Bentley’s software solutions have been deployed for complementary purposes in an effort to improve project and asset information management.
