WASHINGTON (AP) — The railroad industry is downplaying expectations that a safety technology that could have prevented recent deadly train crashes will be in operation across the country by the end of the year. Indeed, freight and commuter rail officials speak as if there never was any plan to complete their work on the technology…
Posts published in February 2018
CAYCE, S.C. (AP) — Federal investigators spent a second day Monday at the site of a deadly train crash in South Carolina, where an Amtrak train was mistakenly sent off a main track and down a side spur - and into a parked freight train. The ensuing crash early Sunday killed two people and injured…
WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Only about a quarter of U.S. railroad tracks that carry passenger trains have an anti-crash system that safety officials say could have prevented a fatal weekend crash, even though a year-end deadline to finish installing it is just months away. The technology, known as positive train control, or PTC, is…
CAYCE, S.C. (AP) — An Amtrak passenger train slammed into a parked freight train in the early-morning darkness Sunday after a thrown switch sent it hurtling down a side track, authorities said. Two Amtrak crew members were killed, and more than 100 people were injured. It was the third deadly wreck involving Amtrak in less…
(Recasts with Amtrak CEO blaming CSX for incident, adds CSX statement) CAYCE, S.C., Feb 4 (Reuters) - Amtrak blamed a freight rail operator for causing a crash on Sunday that killed two people and injured more than 100 others when one of its passenger trains was diverted onto a side track and slammed into a…
Rail News Home Federal Legislation & Regulation 1/11/2018 Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation Minnesota ends Twin Cities-to-Milwaukee high-speed rail study By Julie Sneider, senior associate editorAn environmental study exploring the viability of a high-speed passenger-rail service between Minnesota and Wisconsin has been halted after two Minnesota state lawmakers objected to its funding.Minnesota Department of…
Rail News Home Federal Legislation & Regulation 1/10/2018 Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation Trump team meets with senators to discuss infrastructure priorities U.S. Sen. John Barrasso was among the senators that met with Trump administration officials. Photo – epw.senate.gov Trump administration officials and a bipartisan group of senators yesterday held talks about the $1…
Rail News Home Federal Legislation & Regulation 1/12/2018 Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation UP estimates $6 billion benefit in 2017 from new tax law Union Pacific Railroad estimates that changes in the new tax law will provide a nearly $6 billion boost to the railroad's 2017 earnings.The Class I earlier this week disclosed the…
Rail News Home Federal Legislation & Regulation 1/12/2018 Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation USDOT outlines automated vehicle policy U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said autonomous vehicles will have a "tremendous impact on society in terms of safety, mobility, and security." Photo – U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine…