Issues & Modes / Railroads
Senate Confirms Primus to New STB Term, but Amtrak Nominees Will Wait Until Next Year
Dec 21, 2022 | Jeff DavisAs part of last night's 10 p.m. Senate "wrap-up" activities, the Senate confirmed, by unanimous consent, the nomination of Robert...
FRA Invites Applicants for First $2.3B of Non-NEC Intercity Rail Funding
Dec 09, 2022 | Jeff DavisIn terms of giant breaks with precedent, the dollar amount in the bipartisan infrastructure bill that most stood out was the guaranteed...
President Signs Bill Averting Rail Strike
Dec 02, 2022 | Jeff DavisPresident Biden has signed into law H. J. Res. 100, a resolution imposing a contract on the four railroad unions who had rejected the...
Highway, Rail Nominees Moving Through Committee
Dec 02, 2022 | Jeff DavisHighway and railroad policy nominees will be added to the pending pool from which the Senate usually selects several dozen individuals...
EXPLAINER: What to know on Congress’ bid to bar rail strike
Nov 29, 2022 | Jeff DavisJeff Davis, a senior fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation, said he expects senators from both parties will ultimately have to...
House to Vote This Week to Prevent Railroad Strike
Nov 29, 2022 | Jeff DavisThe House of Representatives is expected to vote later this week on legislation imposing a contract settlement on the railroad unions...
Amtrak Year-End Reporting Shows Ongoing Ridership, Expense Problems
Nov 18, 2022 | Jeff DavisA review of Amtrak's final monthly operating report for fiscal year 2022 shows that ridership and revenue on key routes continues to...
Railroad Strike Averted (For Now)
Sep 16, 2022 | Jeff DavisAfter some cajoling from the Biden Administration and an all-night negotiating session, the leaders of the remaining holdout railroad...
What Happens If Congress Blocks the Railroad Strike?
Sep 14, 2022 | Jeff DavisJeff Davis, senior fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation, said Congress could still pass a bill extending the cooling-off period....
Webinar: The Role of Technology in Modernizing Supply Chains
Oct 04, 2022 | Jonathan HammondThe freight transportation sector has always been a leader in leveraging new technologies to improve operational speed, efficiency, and...
Senate Amtrak Hearing Avoids Big-Picture Issues
Sep 09, 2022 | Jeff DavisIt’s a pivotal time for Amtrak, and Congress gave the nation’s passenger railroad $22 billion in the recent bipartisan...
Opinion: Three Questions the Senate Should Ask the Amtrak Board Nominees
Sep 06, 2022 | Jeff DavisIn his 1987 history of the Federal Reserve, Secrets of the Temple, journalist William Greider told a funny story illustrating the...
Railroads are among the safest modes of transportation for workers, riders, and the public. Strong federal standards for railroad track and operations, technological investments like positive train control, and communities’ infrastructure improvements have yielded significant gains. But most of these gains have plateaued and in some cases safety trends are moving in the wrong direction. A new strategy and framework is needed to address the most significant safety issues facing railroads. This report explores trends in railroad safety data and actionable recommendations for federal, state, local, and private sector actors to make a demonstrable improvement in railroad safety.