In the wake of several recent accidents, the federal government today is launching a rail inspection project to check nearly 1,300 miles of track across New York State for flaws that might lead to a train derailment among other new measures designed to improve rail safety in the wake of several recent accidents, Joseph H. Boardman, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced during a visit to Albany.

“A safe railroad begins with safe track, but it doesn’t end there,” Administrator Boardman said. “Railroads needs to embrace a ‘culture of safety’ and find new ways to prevent the kind of accidents that have disrupted lives and commerce and shaken our confidence in the safety of tracks,” he stated before climbing aboard a federal track inspection vehicle called the T-16 to observe an inspection of track from Albany to Schenectady.

Boardman explained that during the next two days the T-16 will inspect the heavily used CSX tracks from Albany to Buffalo, including the lines to Niagara Falls and to Ripley at the Pennsylvania border. The itinerary will take the T-16 through Oneida, Rochester, and Cheektowaga where major derailments have occurred in recent days and months. The inspection will measure whether the two track rails are level and if the width between the rails is acceptable to avoid derailments.

The Administrator added that last month he directed another federal track inspection vehicle, known as the T-18, be used on CSX tracks in New York. The T-18 will inspect for weaknesses in the track structure such as bad crossties or poor connections between the rail and crosstie that could cause the rails to dangerously widen when a train rolls over that section of track.

And, in order to build a baseline for evaluating a railroad’s ‘culture of safety’, the FRA will begin a quality assessment of the CSX rail inspection program, starting in New York and then extending it to their entire network. Boardman said he is interested in learning what criteria CSX uses to determine how frequently the company inspects its own tracks beyond current federal requirements, if track improvement decisions are made differently when a line has hazardous material or passenger rail traffic, and how track problems are identified and resolved including the use of technology to find flaws. The results of this risk reduction approach will be used to guide similar FRA evaluations of other railroads, he added.

Boardman also said that he met with CSX senior executives to discuss the railroad’s recent safety record and the results of a focused inspection on CSX property conducted in January. In addition, FRA is performing a safety review of railroad bridges in western New York.

Tags: dot, fra, rail safety, railroads, trains, new york, albany, buffalo, oneida

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has a new Secretary of Transportation and it’s important to get to know this leading figure who is now heading all of the country’s most ambitions and much needed transportation projects.

Meet Ms Mary E. Peters, the new Secretary of Transportation, at the DOT:

“She was nominated by President George W. Bush on September 5, 2006, and confirmed by the US Senate as the 15th Secretary of Transportation on September 30, 2006, after spending more than two decades crafting solutions to our nation’s toughest transportation challenges.

Secretary Peters brings a unique perspective to her role as the nation’s transportation chief, having spent her career working on transportation issues in the private and public sectors, including leading both federal and state transportation agencies. This hands-on experience allows her to understand and appreciate the real-life aspects of planning, building and operating transportation systems on local, regional and state levels.

Over her 20-plus years in transportation, Secretary Peters has earned a solid reputation as an innovative problem solver, a force for safety and a strong advocate for effective use of taxpayer dollars. As Secretary of Transportation, she intends to use these same skills to tackle today’s most pressing challenges including fighting congestion across all modes of transportation, improving safety and addressing strains on traditional sources of transportation funding.

She is responsible for maintaining a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system, while leading an agency with almost 60,000 employees and a $61.6 billion budget that oversees air, maritime and surface transportation missions.

Prior to joining President Bush’s Cabinet, Peters worked in Phoenix, AZ, as the national director for transportation policy and consulting at HDR, Inc., a major engineering firm. She was responsible for building a management consulting practice and formulating public policy initiatives for the firm’s transportation program.

In 2001, the President asked Peters to lead the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As FHWA Administrator from 2001 to 2005, she placed special emphasis on finding new ways to invest in road and bridge construction, including innovative public-private partnerships that help build roads faster and at less expense. She also was a strong advocate for using new technology to reduce construction time, saving taxpayer money and resulting in safer, longer-lasting roads and highways.

From 1985 to 2001, she served in the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). During her tenure, Peters worked her way up through the ranks as a contract administrator, deputy director for administration, and deputy director. In 1998, then-Governor Jane Hull appointed her director of the agency. While in office, she was recognized as the Most Influential Person in Arizona Transportation by the Arizona Business Journal.

Secretary Peters received the 2004 National Woman of the Year Award from the Women’s Transportation Seminar, a national organization of transportation professionals. She chaired the Standing Committee on Planning and the Asset Management Task Force for the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO), and was a member of the AASHTO 2001 Reauthorization Steering Committee.”

NavSite.com would like to -officially- congratulate Ms Peters on her new appointment while also wishing her and her team lots of success!

Tags: mary e. peters, dot, appointment, transportation projects

A revised international investment proposal released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation would strengthen requirements initially proposed last November concerning U.S. citizens’ control of all safety, security and national defense obligations of domestic airlines while allowing international investors to make decisions on commercial matters involving U.S. airline management.

The supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking issued by the Department reflects comments provided on the November, 2005 proposal from consumers, airlines, aviation personnel and other interested groups. That proposal would make it easier for U.S. airlines to raise money, restructure their businesses and form strategic partnerships and alliances by allowing international investors more say in some aspects of airline operations such as scheduling and marketing.

The supplemental proposal issued today would make clear that U.S. citizens who are members of a domestic airline’s board or the voting shareholders, must retain the authority to revoke decision-making authority that international investors may acquire. For example, domestic board members might decide to revoke international investors’ decision-making authority over scheduling and fleet composition if they felt that those decisions were not in their airlines’ best interests. The new provision would make clear that U.S. citizens remain in “actual control” of the airline, as required by statute.

In addition, the revised proposal would strengthen the original proposal’s requirement that U.S. citizens have full control over all policies and implementation relating to safety, security and national defense airlift commitments. The new proposal would specifically prevent international investors from having the ability to hire, fire or control the budgets of senior airline managers with direct responsibility for safety, security and national defense airlift commitments.

As with the original version, the revised proposal would only apply to international investors from countries that have Open-Skies aviation agreements with the United States and allow similar investments by American citizens in their domestic airlines.

Here’s a partial list of US domestic airliners targeted, directly or not, by this proposal:

• Alaska Air
• Aloha Air
• America West Airlines
• American Airlines
• Continental Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Northwest Airlines
• Pacific Coastal Airlines
• Southwest Airlines
• United Airlines
• US Airways
• WestJet Airlines
• World Airways

The Department is seeking additional comment for another sixty days to allow for all interested groups to comment on the revised proposal.

Tags: airlines, investments, us, dot, proposal, safety, security, national defense, citizens

Freight transportation is a key concern of the US Department of Transportation and nearly every operating administration listed in DOT Agencies.

The following major web pages at DOT are entirely dedicated to freight transportation on the American territory:

• Framework for a National Freight Policy
• National Freight Statistics and Maps
• Freight Information by State
• National Freight Data Sources

• Freight at the Bureau of Transportation Statistics
• Freight at the National Transportation Library
• Freight Analysis, Professional Development, Intermodal Technology, and SAFETEA-LU Freight Programs at the Federal Highway Administration
• Freight Planning at the Federal Highway Administration
• Freight at the Federal Railroad Administration

• The Transportation of Hazardous Materials
• Pipeline Safety

If you feel these links don’t answer all your freight-related questions, you can write to the US Department of Transportation using this freight-specific e-mail address: freight@dot.gov.

Tags: freight, transportation, us, dot, safety, hazmat, highways, railroads, american, agencies

The US transportation system is essential to the growth of the Nation. As such, it’s essential that the latest traffic and road closure information be made available to all companies and individuals who need to take important routing decisions, often in real-time.

The following link collection is inspired by the one made available by the US Federal Highway Administration and are intended to be a quick reference you can easily access.

Individual US States information:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington State Washington, D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

National information links related to various themes.

Construction related:

• Rand McNally Construction Information for North America

Weather / road conditions related:

• AccuWeather Travel Weather
• AccuWeather Weather Headlines
• Intellicast Travel Weather, including DriveCast
• National Weather Service
• National Weather Service Interactive Weather Information Network
• RoadWeather.com Road Surface Conditions and Travel Weather
• Safe Travel USA – Weather and Road Conditions for the Upper Midwest
• Travel Cities Weather
• USA Today Weather Forecasts Along Interstate Highways
• Weather Channel Travel Weather

Traffic conditions information:

• AccuTraffic – Traffic information for States
• Beat the Traffic Information for various US cities
• Iteris Real-Time Traffic Information, maps and times – for various US cities
• Metrocommute Traffic Information
• MSN Traffic Reports
• Road Summit Travel information for various US locations
• Road Watch America
• Search Beat Traffic and Weather Web Links
• SmarTraveler – Traffic information for various major US cities
• Smart-Traveler Information for various US cities
• Traffic.com – Traffic information for US cities
• TrafficOnline – Personalized, route-specific, real time traffic information
• Travel Advisory News Network (TANN) – Traffic conditions for various cities
• TravelForecast.com – United States road and traffic conditions
• Yahoo! Traffic Views – Traffic conditions for various cities

Regional information links:

• I-95 Corridor Coalition Traveler Information
• I-95 Travelers Alert (from Starsystems)
• Midwest Road Conditions from the National Weather Service (CO, IL, IN, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI, WY)

State Departments of Transportation:

• All State DOTs

More information, including the 511 service, is made available on this page at the Federal Highway Administration, which is a branch of the US Department of Transportation.

Tags: traffic, us, dot, safety, transportation, federal highway, state dot, metrocommute, roads

On Friday, April 21st, 2006, the Department of Transportation has announced the State of Louisiana will receive an additional 53 million dollars to help repair hurricane-damaged railroad signals and highways.

Louisiana is receiving an additional $53 million in federal funds to help restore railroad signals, clear roads and continue repairs to hurricane-damaged highways and bridges, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said today.

The Department has now made over $1 billion available to Louisiana with this latest round of support, Mineta added.

The funding announced today reimburses the state for repairing railroad signals in Orleans, Jefferson and Plaquemines Parishes and additional expenses from clearing downed trees, sand and other debris from highways after the storm. The funding has been used to reopen the I-10 Twin Spans Bridge and repair or replace traffic signals, highway signs, guardrails and washed out pavement and highway shoulders.

“We will work with Louisiana until the job is done,” said Mineta. “Louisianans know they will get the support and resources they need from Washington to continue repairing roads and reopening businesses.”

Today’s funding is part of an emergency highway aid package for Gulf Coast states requested by President Bush and approved by Congress the end of last year.

In addition to providing federal dollars, Mineta said the Department of Transportation has made it easier for Louisiana to use those funds by cutting red tape and giving state officials the flexibility to get repairs underway as quickly as possible. As a result, two lanes on the Twin Spans Bridge reopened in mid-October only 47 days after its destruction by Katrina. All four lanes were restored in early January nine days ahead of schedule.

Tags: new orleans, louisiana, katrina, us, dot, bridges, commuters, emergency, highways, mineta, red tape

Program Highlights

As a leading country in ITS deployment, the United Kingdom is looking forward to hosting the much awaited 13th ITS World Congress and Exhibition in London, from October 8 to 12, 2006.

As you probably know, this major annual event rotates between Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific region and comes to the UK for the first time in 2006.

The international ITS community will participate in this prestigious event in significant numbers and there will be many opportunities to take part as a delegate, speaker, exhibitor and visitor.

The ITS World Congress is organised by ERTICO in co-operation with ITS United Kingdom, Department for Transport, Department of Trade and Industry and Transport for London.

It is part of the highly successful ongoing series of ITS World and European Congresses.

These events have received the highest support throughout the ITS world in government, industry and other organisations and continue to do so in this rapidly growing field.

The 13th World Congress offers you the following:

• Begin each day with a high-profile plenary session offering a unique perspective of both the present and future of transportation progress.
• Attend your choice of hundreds of executive, special and technical sessions that provide targeted education on a comprehensive range of topics for every experience level.
• Visit the sites via our exclusive tours, designed to highlight local ITS innovations and achievements, with the most popular tours repeated for your convenience.
• Experience the excitement on the Trade Show Floor.
• Meet, greet, have fun and get it done at all the networking & social events.

The event is especially a must if you’re part of the ITS community around the world.

Tags: london, uk, trade show, intelligent transport, transportation systems, social events, dot