News

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – The Railway Gazette reported that Grupo México announced that its transportation division – México Transportes (GMXT) – reached an agreement to acquire Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) from Fortress Investment Group. The announcement was made on March 28, 2017. Read the complete article here.      

President Trump’s 2018 proposed budget seeks to cut federal funding for Amtrak’s long-distance train services, which would end coast-to-coast commuter rail services and would kill regional and long-distance services, including the following popular commuter rail routes: New York to New Orleans, Chicago to Portland, and Seattle to Los Angeles. Click here to read the entire article from The…

By John Risch National Legislative Director SMART Transportation Division JRisch@smart-union.org Recently, I was the only labor participant in a technology roundtable before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure where we discussed emerging technology in the railroad industry. The focus of my comments was on Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) Brakes. I have operated trains…

LUBBOCK, Texas – According to an AP report recently posted on KWTX.com, a thirteen-year old girl who went missing while on a family vacation in Colorado, was found safe four days later by a Texas farmer. The missing teen had apparently hitched a ride on a coal train heading south and hopped off 300 miles later…

BOSTON – 7 News Boston reported that the Massachusetts state legislature recently mandated that all duck boats must be operated by two-person crews. The measure came in response to a growing number of duck boat-related injuries and fatalities. Read the complete story here. Two-person crews on duck boats makes sense –  and common sense also dictates…