You can't make this stuff up
https://www.universalhub.com/2023/green-line-speed-restrictions-not-lifted-most-t
https://www.universalhub.com/2023/green-line-speed-restrictions-not-lifted-most-t
CRRC being investigated by feds.
https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail...-ensure-adherence-to-buy-america-requirements
That unfortunately is an overly broad statement. That is not what S.846, the Bill in question says. The summary of the Bill as presented in Congressional Records says:"Congress “was so concerned with this” that as part of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, lawmakers included a provision banning federal taxpayer dollars from being used to purchase buses or railcars from foreign-owned or controlled companies, the trio of congressmen wrote."
Isn't every current manufacturer of railcars foreign-owned or controlled?
Transit Infrastructure Vehicle Security Act
This bill prohibits the awarding of a contract to an entity for the procurement of rolling stock for use in public transportation if the manufacturer of the rolling stock is (1) incorporated or has manufacturing facilities in the United States; and (2) is owned or controlled by an entity based in a country that is identified as a nonmarket economy country, was identified by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) as a priority foreign country (e.g., a country that does not protect intellectual property rights), and is subject to monitoring by the USTR. This includes the People's Republic of China.
Any recipient of financial assistance for public transportation that operates a rail fixed guideway service must certify that it will not award any contract for the procurement of rail rolling stock for use in public transportation to a manufacturer of rolling stock that is described by this bill. A recipient that operates a rail fixed guideway public transportation system must certify that it has a written plan for identifying and reducing cybersecurity risks.
Specifically, the Senators’ amendment would prevent federal transit funds from being used by transit agencies to procure Chinese rail assets and ensure transit agencies develop and execute a cybersecurity plan.
- Limitation on Certain Rolling Stock Procurements: This legislation prevents federal transit dollars from being used to award a contract or subcontract for the procurement of passenger rail cars or transit buses to Chinese state-owned, controlled or subsidized enterprises. The bill would create a certification process for transit agencies to ensure their funds are not being used to purchase rolling stock from a covered manufacturer. A narrow exception would be made for transportation agencies with a pre-existing contract or subcontract with a covered rail rolling stock manufacturer executed prior to the date of enactment.
- Cybersecurity Certification: Given the level of technology and growing complexity of rail rolling stock assets, it is important that proper cybersecurity standards are in place. This legislation would require any transit operator that operates rail transit service to develop and execute a plan for identifying and reducing cybersecurity risks. Recipients of federal transit assistance would be required to review best practices and to identify any hardware and software components of new rolling stock assets that should undergo third-party testing.
Found the letter, and that wording was in the letter itself, not misquoted by the news source. One would hope members of the Transportation Committee (or their staffers, who probably drafted the letter) would have a working knowledge of relevant legislation.That unfortunately is an overly broad statement. That is not what S.846, the Bill in question says. The summary of the Bill as presented in Congressional Records says:
The Cornyn, Baldwin, Crapo, Brown Amendment that went into the Defense Bill does the following:
The bottom line is that the stipulated limitations apply only to those countries that do not meet certain free market and trading requirements, which at present make Chinese companies ineligible to be selected as vendors. Specifically Western and most Central European countries are fine. So one does not have stop ordering stuff from Siemens, Stadler and Alstom for example. South Korea is fine too, so Hyundai-Rotem is fine. But CRRC is out
Either they are incompetent, ignorant or just knowingly grand standing. The relevant legislation does not say what they claim it says. You correctly noted that if what they say is true there would be nowhere to buy any passenger rail equipment from.Found the letter, and that wording was in the letter itself, not misquoted by the news source. One would hope members of Transportation Committee (or their staffers, who probably drafted the letter) would have a working knowledge of relevant legislation.
The MBTA order is actually not subject to this audit. It is the SEPTA Multi-Level Car order that is.I believe the MBTA did not use federal funds for the CRRC car purchases so this provision would not apply to the Red and Orange line orders.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/...d-electrical-company-general-manager-charged.
BOSTON – The former Assistant Chief Engineer of Facilities for Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis) and the former general manager of a Massachusetts-based electrical company have been charged in a scheme to defraud Keolis of over $8 million.
John P. Pigsley, 58, was indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of tax evasion, one count of filing a false tax return and four counts of structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements. Pigsley was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston at 1:45 p.m. today.
John Rafferty, 69, of Hale’s Location, N.H., has been charged by an Information and has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
2019 Heartland Fuel 352 Camper, VIN: 5SFCG3927KE404401, valued at $37,150.00, seized by the FBI on March 03, 2022, from Lorna Jean Noel and John Patrick Pigsley in Beverly, MA for forfeiture pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 981(a)(1)(C). 22-FBI-002284:
The reaction of commuters says it all
meanwhile this also happened
Pigsley was scrapping thousands of pounds of copper wire daily, sometimes twice a day.
LOL - I find the name ironic (and also close to Pugsley...).Well, he was charged with wire fraud, so…
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