Railroads

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Federal subsidies are covering less of Amtrak's operation costs, the company's CEO Joseph Boardman told lawmakers on Tuesday.

Republicans have railed against federal funding for Amtrak in recent years, but Boardman said Tuesday that record ridership numbers in 2012 resulted in the government covering just 12 percent of the company's operations.

The company previously said its ridership covered 79 percent of its operations, leaving 21 percent to be covered by federal funding. 

HOUSTON – A senior Exxon official said the oil industry sees rail cars as a viable option to move growing amounts of Canadian oil sands to market, but he called development of multiple new pipelines the preferred option.

“When we look at long-term forecasts of oil sands growth, we believe that all of these pipelines will be needed over time to support the oil sands,” said Bruce March, an Exxon vice president, noting multiple proposals to build pipelines to the U.S. and other markets.

“The fact is that pipelines remain safest and most reliable way to transport crude oil and petroleum products,” said March, the former CEO of Exxon’s Canadian subsidiary Imperial Oil.

But March, speaking at the IHS CERAWeek energy conference here, said that while the industry wants pipelines, railroads are a viable option to handle growing production.

Federal railroad officials plan to begin testing conductors for common over-the-counter medicines after major accidents.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) already tests conductors for controlled substances, but wants to add non-controlled substances, such as sedating antihistamines like Benadryl, to the list.

After spending the week leading up to sequestration debating the impact of budget cuts on commercial aviation, lawmakers will turn their transportation focus this week to rail funding.

The House panel that handles railroads will hold a hearing Tuesday about the "role of freight and passenger rail in America's transportation system."

The hearing, which will chaired by Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), comes as the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is gearing up for authorizing a new funding bill for rail programs this year. 

The unions for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport security screeners and Amtrak concession workers have joined the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Department, the labor groups said Thursday.

The TTD, which bills itself as the largest coalition of transportation unions, said the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and UNITE HERE unions would become its 32nd and 33rd members.

The AFGE, which represents TSA workers, is joining the TTD for the first time. UNITE HERE, the Amtrak concession workers union, is rejoining the coalition.  

Your morning transportation speed-read: 

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) urged President Obama on Monday to take steps to stop monopolies in the freight rail industry.

“Farmers and businesses across Minnesota rely on freight rail to ship out their products, but a lack of competition in the rail industry harms shippers and drives up prices for their consumers,” Franken said Monday. “The freight rail monopolies that control much of our shipping infrastructure have harmed job creation and economic growth all over Minnesota and all over the country.”

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