TTD in the news

Reported by Trains Magazine. U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) on Friday introduced a bill that would provide $20 billion annually for the next four years to bolster public transit operating budgets. The Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act would create a grant program for projects that make “substantial improvements to transit service” by increasing routes…

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Reported by America’s Workforce Union Podcast. Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss rail safety regulations, challenges in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Infrastructure Week. Regan began by discussing the lack of progress in rail safety regulations, despite ongoing concerns following incidents like the…

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Reported by Railway Age. The POTUS 47 Administration is bringing political changes that will significantly impact transportation funding. Ahead of this year’s Railway Interchange event, we spoke with two speakers, Husein Cumber, Senior advisor at Brightline Holdings, and Robert Pearsall, Partnerships Director at U.S. High Speed Rail, to understand the current state of passenger and transit funding and how leaders…

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Reported by Brandon Lewis for Mass Transit. On April 22, the South West Transit Association (SWTA) hosted a webinar to discuss the implications of the upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization legislation.  SWTA Executive Director Rich Sampson discussed how the Surface Transportation Authorization impacts the transportation industry as a whole, including public transit.  According to Sampson, the…

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Reported by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials A subcommittee within the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure recently held a hearing to review the nation’s transit policies and programs – especially their impact on rural parts of the country – as Congress begins work on the next multiyear surface transportation…

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Reported by Philip Plotch for ENO Center for Transportation. On Wednesday, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held a hearing, titled “America Builds: A Review of Our Nation’s Transit Policies and Programs.” The subcommittee invited four witnesses to testify:  Safety and crime were topics raised by numerous members of Congress and the witnesses…

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Reported by Dan Zukowski for Smart Cities Dive. In February, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy launched a review of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which is building a portion of the proposed Los Angeles-to-San Francisco HSR project in the state’s Central Valley. The review will determine whether the authority gets to keep about $4 billion in previously…

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Reported by Neal Tepel for Labor Press. The California High-Speed Rail Project is the largest HSR undertaking in North America. The blueprint includes a labor agreement with 13 rail unions and PLA for the unionized building trades. While highly skilled rail unions perform all traditional work operating trains, the construction of tracks and stations is…

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Reported by Pamela Glass for Work Boat. Nine federal committees that advise the Coast Guard on maritime issues have found themselves in the crosshairs of President Trump’s remake of the federal government. Members of all federal advisory committees under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including those working on towing safety regulations and maritime training,…

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Reported by Mike Schuler for gCaptain. A group of top maritime labor leaders in the U.S. is urging Congress to restore nine Federal Advisory committees on maritime safety after their membership was abruptly terminated. The committees—staffed by maritime industry experts—provide critical input to the U.S. Coast Guard on issues ranging from towing safety and licensing…

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