Hit hard by Covid-19, transit workers call for shutdowns
Bus drivers and subway workers are dying from coronavirus at an alarming rate, and transit union leaders are calling for aggressive action to make them safer. To enable the livelihoods of other essential workers, thousands of bus drivers, track repairers, yard masters, cleaners and others are still showing up to their jobs amid the pandemic. But the death toll among the ranks of front-line public transportation workers, who are considered part of the “essential workforce” in most U.S. cities, suggests they are acutely vulnerable to the virus. [citylab.com]
Railroads, suppliers commit to transparency on cyber attacks
Cyber security teams at North American railroads and technology suppliers are joining together to guard against cyber attacks. Members of the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Rail Information Security Committee (RISC) are working together to identify and secure potential vulnerabilities in freight and passenger-rail networks. Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada are among RISC mwmbers. While not always covered publicly, cyber attacks on the rail industry have reportedly increased over the last three years. [progressiverailroading.com]
Let’s plan for the coming ‘new normal’
The current crisis provides a powerful impetus to reconsider and reimagine much of what we have grudgingly accepted as unchangeable. In the transportation sector that means reimagining the auto-centric society built through much of the last century, an auto-centric society supported by heavy public subsidies and a legacy infrastructure that even today acts as a stubborn barrier to a transition to a more sustainable model. [commonwealthmagazine.org]
Tech advisor named for Mississaga-Brampton, Ontario light-rail project
Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario last week selected Stantec to provide technical advice for the Hurontario light-rail project, which will connect Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario. The suburban Toronto service will run electric trains between the Port Credit GO rail station to the Brampton Gateway Terminal. As lead technical adviser, Stantec will provide design, construction and commissioning oversight of the 11-mile Hurontario light-rail line and a rail-car operation, maintenance and storage facility. [progressiverailroading.com]
