ASLRRA

“These projects will make American rail safer, more reliable, and more resilient, delivering tangible benefits to dozens of communities where railroads are located, and strengthening supply chains for the entire country," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg

FRA: $1.4B in Infrastructure Funding Through CRISI Program

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced Sept. 25 that it has invested more than $1.4 billion from President Biden’s Infrastructure Law into 70 rail improvement projects in 25 states and Washington, D.C.

“These projects will make American rail safer, more reliable, and more resilient, delivering tangible benefits to dozens of communities where railroads are located, and strengthening supply chains for the entire country," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg

Coalition of Organizations Call for DOT to Set Up Freight Office

In a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), along with the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, are calling for the establishment of the Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy, or Freight Office.

Under FRA’s proposed rule for dispatcher certification, railroads would be required to have “formal processes for training prospective dispatchers, as well as verifying that each dispatcher has the requisite knowledge, skills, safety record, and abilities to safely perform all of the safety-related dispatcher duties mandated by federal laws and regulations, prior to certification.” (Union Pacific Photograph)

FRA: Comment Period Extended Again for Proposed Dispatcher, Signal Employee Certification Regs

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) on June 21 reported filing petitions with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requesting a 60-day extension of the comment period for two proposals that would require freight railroads, Amtrak and commuter railroads to develop certification programs for network dispatchers and signal employees. FRA on July 5 and again on Aug. 22 extended the comment period by 30 days and 15 days, respectively.

AAR, ASLRRA, TTD to Congress: Rethink Cap on RRB Spending

The Railroad Retirement Board’s (RRB) ability to process retirements and sickness benefits for railroad employees and retirees “living in every state and every congressional district” would be “severely” impacted by the limitation on RRB’s administrative funding included in the fiscal year (FY) 2024 House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) appropriations bill, the Association of American Railroads (AAR), American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), and Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) told Congress in a July 31 letter expressing their opposition.

AAR, ASLRRA, IBT, TTD Urge Swift Passage of REEF Act

Two rail industry associations and two unions teamed recently to encourage Congressional support of the Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness Act (REEF Act; H.R.2785/S.1274), which they said would “eliminate cuts to railroad unemployment and sickness benefits.”

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