Responding to the Washington Council of Fire Fighters and other first responders, Washington State adopted a new rule, Chapter 173-185 WAC, Oil Movement by Rail and Pipeline Notification, “to enhance oil spill preparedness and response.”
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) announced on August 16 that it has received a grant from FY2016 Railroad Safety Technology Grant Funds, made available through the Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration. The $2.5 million grant will support the development and implementation of a back-office product that delivers Positive Train Control (PTC). The product will be made available to all short line and regional railroads.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued the Public Transportation Safety Program final rule on August 11th.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a new, final rule on July 29 that requires passenger railroads to proactively identify potential safety hazards across their operations and work to reduce and mitigate them. FRA believes this rule will help prevent safety problems from escalating and resulting in incidents, injuries or deaths.
Elected officials have begun releasing information about projects awarded grants from the eighth round of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on May 20, 2016 that it has received 212 applications totaling nearly $9.8 billion for grants through the newly-created Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies (FASTLANE) grant program.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) on March 30, 2016 announced the closing of a $255 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan to the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to buy new railcars, helping to modernize one of the oldest and busiest transit systems in the country.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on Feb. 10, 2016 highlighted $3.5 billion recommended in President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget to advance the construction or completion of 31 rail, bus rapid transit and streetcar projects in 18 states. These projects, competitively funded through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Program, would create thousands of construction and operations-related jobs and help communities expand transportation choices that offer new ladders of opportunity for residents.
Federal and Amtrak officials and state officials from New York and New Jersey announced Nov. 11, 2015 that they have reached an agreement on funding commitments and a governance structure that will allow the long-awaited, critically important $20 billion Gateway Tunnel Project to construct two new rail tunnels under the Hudson River to move forward.
The U.S. Senate on August 5, 2015 officially confirmed the appointment of Marie Therese Dominguez as Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Dominguez, who began serving as Administrator on June 22, was first nominated by President Barack Obama for the role on May 29.