In the year since the East Palestine train derailment, rail safety has been a hot button issue in the United States. After the East Palestine derailment dominated news headlines in late February and March of 2023, there...more
On April 27, 2023, the California Air Resources Board ("CARB") approved a first-in-the-nation regulation that limits the emission of greenhouse gases, criteria pollutants, and toxic air contaminants from locomotives in the...more
In Ohio, the nation’s capital, and across the country, legislators have taken action in response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3. Here are the top three things to...more
On February 24, the European Commission granted approval under EU State Aid Rules for a German scheme supporting rail transport operators using electric traction. The €1.1 billion scheme will provide economic support for...more
“It’s a good time to be in transportation!” says William Murdock, Executive Director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). Speaking to KJK’s Samir Dahman and James Scherer, Mr. Murdock, who heads one of...more
Interpretation of the phrase “in use” as used in the Locomotive Inspection Act (LIA) continues to baffle courts across the country, including the Supreme Court of the United States. On April 28, 2022, the Supreme Court let...more
A group of 15 Democratic AGs, led by Maryland AG Brian Frosh and New York AG Letitia James, filed comments in support of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s proposal to suspend a Trump administration...more
Rail Regulatory and Policy - New European Commission’s Proposals - In the fall of 2021, the European Commission (Commission) expects to put forward a set of proposals covering intelligent transport systems (ITS),...more
ANTITRUST and COMPETITION - German Court asks ECJ About Review of Rail Station Fees - The Berlin Higher Regional Court has lodged a request for a preliminary ruling with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) concerning railway...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - Latvia’s Competition Authority Imposes €5.69 Million Fine on LDZ Cargo for Abusing its Dominance in Rail Freight Transport - On 3 February 2020, Latvia’s Competition Council (CC) fined state-owned...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - Belgium to Support Travel Sector With €30 Million - On 22 January 2021, the Belgian government announced new public support for rail. Starting in January 2021 and running through June 2021,...more
Commission Approves €1.5 Billion Dutch Scheme to Compensate Public Transport Companies for Damages Suffered During COVID-19 - On 9 November 2020, the European Commission approved, under European Union (EU) state aid rules, a...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - Rail sector receives €4.7 billion in France - On 3 September 2020, the French government announced its intention to provide a €4.7 billion financial support package for the rail sector. ...more
ANTITRUST AND COMPETITION - Commission approves German scheme compensating public transport companies - On 7 August 2020, the European Commission approved €6 billion in German state aid to compensate regional and local public...more
The European Commission recently reaffirmed that industrial policy objectives have no role to play when it comes to applying the EU merger control rules. Despite unusually intense industrial and political pressure to get the...more
Infrastructure projects take years to develop: the environmental review, funding, design, procurement, and construction of a public project is time consuming in any state, but even more so in California given the strict...more
Positive Train Control ("PTC") is a system that will automatically apply the train’s brakes in certain situations. PTC systems consist of technologies designed to help detect dangerous situations and automatically intervene...more
Desde la aparición de los primeros sistemas de transporte público, se ha reconocido que los espacios contiguos a las estaciones de trenes son idóneos, especialmente, para urbanizaciones de usos múltiples. La gente está...more
We often quip that the best way to establish a winning record as an appellate lawyer is to represent the party that won below; that’s no joke. In nearly every appellate court— state or federal— appellants have an uphill...more
There is a common sight in Japan — so common that it becomes almost invisible. That sight is trains. They are everywhere and I use them on a daily basis. I’ve grown to love the convenience and reliability of the Japanese...more
In the early morning of October 3, 1970 on rural road just outside San Jose, 61-year old Engineer Anthony Gassell was at the controls of his Southern Pacific locomotive as it headed northwest. At the same time, 24-year old...more
Update: On September 10, the Texas Railroad Commission concluded that these small earthquakes that occurred near Azle, Texas likely were not caused by drilling operations conducted by EnerVest Operating LLC. The Texas...more
The California Legislature adjourned its 2015 regular session early last Saturday morning. It is now up to Governor Brown to sign or veto the last of the Legislature’s 2015 work product. He has until Sunday, October 11, to...more
Yesterday, the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) authorized the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) to construct the initial 65-mile segment of its passenger train system between Merced and Fresno,...more