NJ Transit settles suits from fatal 2016 crash at Hoboken Terminal
NJ Transit has settled several lawsuits stemming from the fatal 2016 accident when a train ran through an end-of-track barricade at its Hoboken Terminal. NJ.com reports the agency settled the suit of the estate of the young woman who was killed by falling debris, as well as those of three other passengers who were injured. An NJ Transit spokeswoman declined to comment, saying the cases were still considered pending litigation, but the settlements approved Wednesday said each was in excess of $500,000. One person was killed and 108 were injured in the Sept. 29, 2016, accident, which was subsequently attributed to the engineer’s sleep apnea and the lack of positive train control.
Hamilton, Ontario, light rail to receive $3.4 billion in federal, provincial funding
The Canadian and Ontario governments will provide a total of C$3.4 billion for a light rail system in Hamilton, but the city must agree to cover the costs of operation and maintenance. The CBC reports the federal and provincial governments will each provide C$1.7 billion for the 8.7-mile line from McMaster University to Stoney Creek, according to a Thursday announcement from Catherine McKenna, federal minister of infrastructure, and Carolina Mulroney, Ontario minister of transportation. Mulroney cancelled the province’s involvement in an earlier version of the project in 2019, citing excessive costs [see “Ontario government cancels $1 billion in funding …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 18, 2019].
Arizona man arrested for phone threats to UP headquarters, other Omaha sites
A Tucson, Ariz., man has been arrested by the FBI for a series of threatening calls to targets in the Omaha, Neb., area, including Union Pacific Railroad headquarters. Television station KETV reports Andrew Isaac Abrams was arrested for a series of hoax threats aimed at schools and a county courthouse, as well as the railroad. He is charged with transmitting threats in interstate commerce and if convicted could face five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release for each count.
