Amtrak commits to Southwest Chief via rail in FY19
An Amtrak official told a Senate hearing the agency would continue to operate passenger service through the Southwest on routes exempted from Positive Train Control.
US Department of Transportation
MBTA Green Line Extension breaks ground
A second infusion of federal funding lent a festive atmosphere to kickoff for the latest expansion of Boston’s transit system.
Saving lives where road meets rail
Forty-five years of Gem State safety effort is reaffirmed by crew members and state troopers climbing aboard a pair of Union Pacific locomotives at Coeur d’Alene Junction, Idaho, on the morning of Sept. 13, 2017.
Move over TIGER, USDOT ready to BUILD
The U.S. Department of Transportation is retiring the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program name.
States risk billions in rail funding without FTA safety OK
The Federal Transit Administration said states that miss the deadline for certifying rail safety oversight programs are risking billions of dollars in government funding.
Acting FRA chief Hall resigns
Heath Hall, the acting administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, the nation’s rail safety watchdog, resigned Feb. 11 amid allegations that he was working a second job as a public relations consultant.
Commentary
Trump to Schumer: “Drop dead”
“Non-existent”: This is the exact term the United States Department of Transportation used to describe any commitment the federal government has toward funding the ambitious, multi-billion-dollar Gateway Program, which would vastly improve passenger rail access to New York City, the nation’s busiest transportation hub.
USDOT repeals ECP brake rule
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Dec. 4 repealed a 2015 Federal Railroad Administration rulemaking requiring freight railroads to employ electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes on certain trains hauling hazardous flammable commodities such as ethanol and crude oil in DOT-117 tank cars.
DOT tabs Batory as rail advisor
With his nomination as Federal Railroad Administrator awaiting Senate confirmation, Ronald L. Batory has been named as a special assistant on railroad matters to Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Kan moves ahead, Batory still stalled
The United States Senate has advanced President Trump’s pick for the number-three post at the Department of Transportation, squashing protests from three of the four Democrats representing New York and New Jersey, who want the Administration to commit to the federal share of the multi-billion-dollar Northeast Corridor Gateway Program. However, the number-one spot at the Federal Railroad Administration remains trapped in a contentious game of political maneuvering.