Latest U.S. Department of Transportation News
American Airlines fined $4.1 million for dozens of long tarmac delays that trapped passengers
DALLAS (AP) — The federal government is fining American Airlines $4.1 million for dozens of instances in which passengers were kept on board planes without a chance to exit during long ground delays. The U.S. Department of Transportation said Monday it is the largest such fine...
New gas pipeline rules floated following 2018 blasts in Massachusetts
BOSTON (AP) — Federal regulators are proposing a series of rules changes aimed at toughening safety requirements for millions of miles of gas distribution pipelines nationwide following a string of gas explosions in Massachusetts in 2018. These proposed changes are designed to...
NHTSA proposing new rules to encourage seat belt use by all vehicle passengers
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Transportation is proposing new rules designed to encourage seat belt use by car and truck passengers, including those sitting in the back seat. The new rules proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would require...
Missouri budgets $50M for railroad crossings in response to fatal 2022 Amtrak derailment
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and state transportation officials on Thursday outlined options for spending the first chunk of $50 million budgeted for railroad crossing improvements in an effort to prevent tragedies like last year’s fatal Amtrak derailment. ...
New York City train derailment leaves 13 passengers injured, 2 seriously
NEW YORK (AP) — Two people were seriously injured and 11 others hurt when a commuter train derailed in New York City on Thursday, officials said. About 100 riders were on the Long Island Rail Road train when it derailed shortly after 11 a.m. east of the Jamaica station in Queens, a...
Poorly designed crossing contributed to fatal 2022 Missouri Amtrak derailment, officials say
A dump truck driver last year may have never seen an oncoming Amtrak train before it was too late, federal investigators concluded in a report, finding that a steep, poorly designed railroad crossing in rural Missouri contributed to last year’s fatal Amtrak derailment that killed four people and...
Further federal probes into false Connecticut traffic stop data likely, public safety chief says
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut's public safety commissioner on Wednesday told state lawmakers to expect a federal investigation into a recent audit's findings that showed hundreds of state troopers submitted false information from 2014 to 2021 on at least 26,000 traffic stops — information...
The US is requiring more planes to have accessible restrooms, but change will take years
Some new planes eventually will be required to have lavatories big enough to be accessible to wheelchair users, a change that disability advocates have sought for many years. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a long-awaited final rule on the subject Wednesday. ...
New Jersey sues federal highway officials in bid to stop New York City's plan to charge big tolls
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey has filed a federal lawsuit aimed at stopping New York's plan to charge big tolls to drive into the most visited parts of Manhattan, arguing that New Jersey residents and towns will bear the brunt without benefiting. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy...
From compensating travelers to the pilot retirement age, Congress takes up aviation bill
With the frenzied summer travel season in full swing and the aviation system straining to keep up, Congress is expected to vote on legislation that over the next five years will shape the agency responsible for safely managing the nation’s airspace and regulating its airlines. ...
