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 Last week, the Transit Elevator/Escalator Training Consortium reconvened at NYCT in Brooklyn, NY. This team with over 350 years of cumulative experience in transit and training spent four intensive days working together on program development. During this week, the consortium members:
* Scheduled future courseware pilot classes
* Reviewed and applied strategies and best practices for hands-on instruction * Toured NYCT training center and elevator/escalator control center
* Continued courseware development on two courses (Course 401: Programmable Logic Controllers and Course 402: Advanced System Analysis)
* Reviewed updated training standards - this group has added nearly 800 new learning objectives through the courseware development process
* Participated in a tutorial of the apprenticeship data program RAPIDS (Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Data System) Led by DOL
* Identified supplemental materials and training strategies to build on current consortium courses
For more information on the Transit Elevator/Escalator Training Consortium, contact project manager Jim Kinahan.
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A sidewalk with no curb cut, a doorway that's too narrow, an out-of-order elevator next to a looming set of stairs -These physical barriers may seem small to some. They did to me, too, until an accident left me paralyzed at the age of 16. From that moment on, I viewed the world through a different lens, my vantage point set from the perspective of a wheelchair. The United States took a major leap forward in social justice and equal rights when President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. In the 25 years since, the ADA has opened doors to education, employment and technology. It has made public transportation more accommodating, established universal design standards, improved voting accessibility, and expanded inclusion and justice for millions.
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Next month I will present a paper at the Thredbo International Conference on Land Passenger Transportation titled, When is a Bus Lane Warranted? It examines where dedicated bus lanes are justified based on economic efficiency and social equity principles. This is an important and timely issue for cities around the world. Cities are, by definition, places where many people and activities locate close together, so urban space is always scarce and valuable. As a result, efficient and equitable urban roadway management favors higher value trips and more space-efficient modes over lower-value trips and space-intensive modes.
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The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) yesterday marked the first anniversary of Silver Line rail service. WMATA Interim General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Jack Recqua met with elected officials and business leaders in Tysons Corner, Va., to discuss the line's economic benefits. "Thanks to the Silver Line, people are already getting out of their cars and walking to work, to eat, and to shop in Tysons and Reston," said U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) in a statement. "And when the entire 23-mile Metrorail line is completed, I expect it will further enhance quality of life and employment options for Northern Virginians and other residents of the region."
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INJ Transit's decision to cross honor train tickets in advance of Monday morning's commute spared commuters from the type of nightmare delays they experienced last week. NJ Transit reported scattered delays and was spared complaints from commuters. Agency officials, however, did some complaining of their own to Amtrak brass, by letter on Friday and in person on Monday.
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Union Pacific Railroad employees achieved a 0.81 reportable injury rate for second-quarter 2015, a 19 percent improvement over the same period a year ago, the Class I announced yesterday. The year-to-date reportable injury rate was 0.82 compared with 1.06 for the same 2014 period, according to a UP press release. A reportable injury rate is the total number of injuries reported to the Federal Railroad Administration per 200,000 employee hours, which is equivalent to 100 employees working a full year.
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About a month ago, the Supreme Court closed out its term in a blaze of nonpartisan glory. A court with a Republican-appointed majority upheld a Democratic president's health insurance program and a marital policy that most Republican officeholders felt obliged to oppose (even if most Republican political consultants felt relieved to see gay marriage rendered a fait accompli). In the term that will begin this fall, the court has a splendid opportunity to deliver the most partisan decision it has rendered since Bush v. Gore. When the court rules in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association , which will be argued in the coming months, the Republican-appointed justices will be able, if they so choose, to create a long-term advantage for their party over the Democrats.
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IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger announced that Grand Lodge Representative Jim Reid will take over as Director of the IAM's Safety and Health Department, effective June 1, 2015. "The IAM places an enormous amount of importance on safety and health training for our members, many of whom work in potentially dangerous work environments," said Buffenbarger. "Jim is the right person to carry on this legacy, as well as to continue our commitment to expanding opportunities for apprenticeships and educational scholarships."
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Members of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation International Association's (SMART) Transportation Division Local 61 at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) ratified a new agreement covering rates of pay and working conditions for conductors and assistant conductors. The agreement covers wage increases, increased instructor allowance, increased uniform allowance and same-sex spousal benefits, SMART officials said in a press release.
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Workforce Development News
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Elizabeth Hutchison was living in Chicago employed in corporate communications in heavy manufacturing when she learned about an opportunity doing similar work forUnion Pacific Railroad. It was a no-brainer for this Millennial to make the move to Omaha as a UP senior communications manager nearly six years ago, but not because she was a native Nebraskan. "The appeal to me was the opportunity to work for Union Pacific," she says. "Rail is such a critical industry."
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Building Transportation Infrastructure
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A salesman for the California-based Proterra electric bus company asked a crowd of about 40 leaders from transit and government agencies where they wanted to ride to test the vehicle. "If you want to show what it can do, head up to the State Capitol," suggested John Inglish, former CEO of the Utah Transit Authority. The bus - packed nearly full and with the air conditioning running - easily cruised up and around Capitol Hill with no slowing or loss of power. It also had zero emissions, and almost no noise. And maybe it shows the future of mass transit.
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A congressional standoff over U.S. transportation funding deepened on Monday as the No. 2 House Republican said he would reject the Senate's multi-year road and mass transit bill, leaving the Export-Import Bank's fate uncertain in the balance. The U.S. Senate voted 64-29 to attach a renewal of the Export Import Bank to the $350 billion spending authorization bill, a move that the trade lender's backers had hoped for since Congress allowed its charter to expire on June 30.
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The Senate and House are moving toward a showdown over a must-pass transportation bill this week. If they don't reach an agreement by Friday, the government will be forced to halt highway aid payments to states in the middle of the summer construction season.
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