What’s the Status of Hyperloop Standardization?
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has released a status report on hyperloop standard development.
Safety
Biden: $20B for ‘Hardest Hit’ Public Transit Agencies
President-elect Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan on Jan. 14 that includes a $20 billion investment to “protect the future of transit.”
USDOT Awards $40.26MM for Commuter Rail Grade Crossing Improvements
Five commuter rail agencies will receive a total of $40.26 million in grants for highway/rail grade crossing improvements from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The awards are part of round one of the Commuter Authority Rail Safety Improvement (CARSI) Grants Program.
Bradbury Acting U.S. SEC DOT
Following Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao’s resignation, effective Jan. 11, Steven G. Bradbury is Acting Secretary of Transportation in accordance with the Department’s established order of succession.
Unions Petition FRA, DHS for Emergency Orders (UPDATED)
Leadership at the industry’s two largest operating-craft unions, the SMART-Transportation Division and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, have petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration to issue an Emergency Order regarding “the safety of all passenger rail crews and passengers.” The unions have also petitioned the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enact a “No-Ride List” on passenger railroads.
USDOT Previews FY21 Small Business Innovation Research Program Topics
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is providing a preview of the 13 topics to be featured in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program this year. Program grants will total $1.9 million.
Primus Sworn In as Fourth STB Member
Robert Primus was sworn in as a new member of the Surface Transportation Board on Jan. 7, with House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) presiding.
NS, Comply365 Deploy Digital T&E Tools
Norfolk Southern’s “digital transformation” initiatives now include rulebooks, bulletins, special instructions, and other “mission-critical documents” that the railroad’s more-than 8,000 T&E (Train and Engine) workers—conductors, engineers and other field operating personnel—are required to carry while on duty. NS has contracted with Cloud-hosted software provider Comply365 for rollout of a content management system and mobile application to “digitize operations, improve efficiency and enhance safety and compliance.”
FTA Signs FFGAs for NICTD, Phoenix Metro Projects
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has signed Full Funding Grant Agreements (FFGAs) for Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District’s (NICTD) Double Track Northwest Indiana Project and for Valley Metro’s South Central Light Rail Extension/Downtown Hub Project in Phoenix.
Consistency Conspicuous in its Absence
Have you every missed something so completely that you question your own connections to reality? Like maybe missing the year or more of notices and communications from the Federal Railroad Administration regarding its “Miscellaneous Amendments to Brake Systems Safety Standards and Codification of Waivers” (Docket FRA-2018-0093)?