<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Consolas;
panose-1:2 11 6 9 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Verdana;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Arial Black";
panose-1:2 11 10 4 2 1 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Trebuchet MS";
panose-1:2 11 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
code
{mso-style-priority:99;
font-family:"Courier New";}
pre
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"HTML Preformatted Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";}
tt
{mso-style-priority:99;
font-family:"Courier New";}
span.left
{mso-style-name:left;}
span.bld
{mso-style-name:bld;}
p.ad, li.ad, div.ad
{mso-style-name:ad;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.ad1, li.ad1, div.ad1
{mso-style-name:ad1;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.ad2, li.ad2, div.ad2
{mso-style-name:ad2;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.ad3, li.ad3, div.ad3
{mso-style-name:ad3;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:7.5pt;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
span.HTMLPreformattedChar
{mso-style-name:"HTML Preformatted Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"HTML Preformatted";
font-family:"Consolas","serif";}
p.bld1, li.bld1, div.bld1
{mso-style-name:bld1;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
font-weight:bold;}
p.replbq, li.replbq, div.replbq
{mso-style-name:replbq;
margin:3.0pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.left1, li.left1, div.left1
{mso-style-name:left1;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.ct, li.ct, div.ct
{mso-style-name:ct;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.cat, li.cat, div.cat
{mso-style-name:cat;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.ad4, li.ad4, div.ad4
{mso-style-name:ad4;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.ad5, li.ad5, div.ad5
{mso-style-name:ad5;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:7.5pt;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.left2, li.left2, div.left2
{mso-style-name:left2;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.ct1, li.ct1, div.ct1
{mso-style-name:ct1;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
text-align:right;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:#FF7900;
font-weight:bold;}
p.cat1, li.cat1, div.cat1
{mso-style-name:cat1;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
font-weight:bold;}
p.ad6, li.ad6, div.ad6
{mso-style-name:ad6;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
span.EmailStyle40
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:blue;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:1741370502;
mso-list-template-ids:1677227974;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<div>
<div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:blue'>Rail news from the Northern Flyer Alliance … </span><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div id=ygrp-mlmsg>
<div id=ygrp-msg>
<div id=ygrp-text>
<p style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black","sans-serif"'>This
is the landmark legislation that may bring an 80 percent federal match for
passenger rail projects. It is landmark in that it is just the second piece of
legislation that has passed in Amtrak's 37 year history that would provide a
federal match for state funded passenger rail projects.<br>
<br>
State projects such as that provided by the States of Oklahoma and Texas with
the Heartland Flyer (operating between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City) or the
state of Missouri with the Ann Rutledge and Mule trains operating between
Kansas City and St. Louis could be upgraded. It could also provide the seed
money for Kansas to become involved with the Heartland Flyer expansion to
Kansas City. <br>
<br>
http://www.northjersey.com/news/njpolitics/31151864.html</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div id=storyheadline>
<p class=MsoNormal>Bush OKs $13B for Amtrak upgrades <o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id=datetimestamp>
<p class=MsoNormal>Friday, October 17, 2008 <o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id=storyauthor>
<p class=MsoNormal>BY HERB JACKSON<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>President Bush reversed his seven-year opposition to a
nationally subsidized railroad Thursday and signed a bill authorizing more than
$2.6 billion a year over five years to upgrade and expand Amtrak.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>The law requires that Amtrak upgrade the Washington-to-Boston
Northeast Corridor, which crosses New Jersey from Trenton to North Bergen, to a
"state of good repair." That means replacing or upgrading aging
tracks, switches, signals and even bridges that frequently cause delays on the
corridor, which NJ Transit uses to carry roughly 100,000 commuters daily.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>Without comment, Bush bowed to broad bipartisan support for
a bill sponsored by Sen. Frank Lautenberg that combined Amtrak funding with new
railroad safety standards.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>"New Jersey commuters depend on Amtrak's Northeast
Corridor every day, and this law will make sure our trains run more smoothly
and reliably," said Lautenberg, D-N.J., the chairman of the Senate's
surface transportation subcommittee.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>The law also includes a provision sought by Lautenberg and
others requiring trash-handling facilities run by railroads to comply with
state fire safety, air pollution and water pollution regulations.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>T he issue became a federal case in the Meadowlands in
recent years. New Jersey had tried to punish railroads that did not seek state
permits before opening transfer stations in North Bergen that were accepting
truckloads of garbage and construction debris for loading onto railcars.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>Operators appealed and won a court ruling that said only the
federal Surface Transportation Board, not state regulators, can control such
operations.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>New safety standards include limits on hours worked by
signal workers and train crews and mandatory controls to automatically stop
trains carrying passengers or hazardous materials if something happens to the
engineer. The law requires Amtrak to build partnerships with states to
establish rail service between major cities, but advocates were unsure if that
would mean new routes in New Jersey.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>The last long-term federal commitment to Amtrak was signed
by President Clinton and expired in 2002, requiring the railroad to wait for
Congress' annual appropriations each year to know how much money it could
spend.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>"After a decade of starvation diets by the Bush
administration and inaction of the Republican-controlled Congress, we stand
together to rebuild Amtrak and provide the necessary resources to construct a
network of high-speed rail corridors across America," said Rep. James
Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House transportation committee.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>The Northeast Corridor covers its operating expenses and has
gained riders, but critics have said the law does not do enough to force Amtrak
to drop money-losing long-distance lines in the South and West.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>E-mail: jackson@northjersey.com<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>From the
United Transportation Union...</span></i><br>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial Black","sans-serif"'><br>
http://www.utu.org/worksite/detail_news.cfm?ArticleID=44246<br>
<br>
Rail safety bill signed into law</span> <o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>WASHINGTON
-- President Bush on Oct. 16 signed into law the Rail Safety Improvement
Act of 2008. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>This is the
most comprehensive rail safety bill in more than 30 years. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>In the
Senate, which passed the bill Oct. 1 by a 74-24 vote, Sen. Barack Obama
(D-Ill.) voted "yes," and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) voted
"no." </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The Rail
Safety Improvement Act of 2008 provides for certification of conductors, along
with a minimum training requirement. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Additionally,
it prohibits carriers from interfering with medical treatment of injured
employees, mandates installation of positive train control, and offers
railroads incentives to install electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP)
brakes and switch position indicators.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Significantly,
the safety bill caps limbo time and requires at least two days off
following each six-day work week. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>But a
provision permits general chairpersons to negotiate with carriers a better
balance between time off and earnings, while preserving guaranteed time off.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Also of
significance, the legislative history of the bill supports two sets of eyes and
ears in the locomotive cab, notwithstanding the installation of PTC.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Following
are major provisions of the rail safety bill:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Conductor
certification:</span></strong><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
Within 18 months of the bill’s becoming law, the FRA must establish a program
to certify conductors, including minimum training stan dards.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Positive
Train Control:</span></strong><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
Requires installation of positive train control by Dec. 31, 2015, on all
main-line track where intercity passenger and commuter railroads operate, and
where toxic-by-inhalation hazmat is transported. Also, grants are provided to
assist railroads in implementing ECP brakes and switch-position indicators. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Hours-of-Service:</span></strong><span
style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> Requires at least 10 consecutive
uninterrupted hours off duty following 12 hours on duty. (There is a three-year
exception for passenger train employees, during which time their hours of
service limitations will be studied by the FRA.)</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>No freight
railroad employee covered by the hours-of-service law may be called to work
unless they have had at least 10 uninterrupted hours off during the prior
24-hour period. And following each six days of work, a covered employee must be
given 48 hours of uninterrupted time-off at their home terminal. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>If the
carrier requires that employee to work a 7th day -- even if it is to
return them to their home terminal -- then the uninterrupted time-off at
the home terminal must be at least 72 hours.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>As to limbo
time, no employee covered by the hours-of-service law may be placed in limb o
time after they have been on duty, waited for deadhead transportation or been
in any other mandatory service for more than a total of 276 hours in any month.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>And total
limbo time per month is restricted to no more than 40 hours -- reduced to 30
hours on the first anniversary of the bill’s becoming law.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The
bill permits general chairpersons to sit down with carrier labor relations
officers and negotiate a better balance between time off and earnings, while
preserving guaranteed time off.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Locomotive
Cab Safety:</span></strong><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
Requires the FRA study the safety impact of the use of train crews using
personal electronic devices. (The UTU has learned that the FRA already is
considering issuing an emergency order prohibiting train crews from using
personal cell phones, Blackberries, iPods and other electronic devices, except
for company business -- and then only when two-crewpersons are in the
cab.)</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Medical
Attention:</span></strong><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
Prohibits railroads from denying, delaying, or interfering with the medical or
first aid treatment of injured workers, and from disciplining those workers
that request treatment. Also requires railroads to arrange for immediate
transport of injured workers to the nearest appropriate hospital. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"'>Inspector
Staffing:</span></strong><span style='font-family:"Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"'>
Increases the number of federal rail safety inspectors and supporting staff by
200. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>