Transportation & Infrastructure
Coverage of the Department of Transportation and everything related to the nation's infrastructure.
Who wants to fly over Taliban-held Afghanistan? New FAA rules allow it, but planes largely avoid it
Two years after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the United States has begun easing rules that could allow commercial airlines to fly over the country in routes that cut time and fuel consumption for East-West travel.
Mount Etna eruption grounds Sicily flights
A volcanic eruption starting Sunday forced the closure of Sicily’s Catania-Fontanarossa Airport that lasted through Monday.
Passenger arrested after Delta plane landed in New Orleans, accused of aggravated battery
A man aboard a Delta Air Lines jet that had just landed in New Orleans cut himself and attacked a flight attendant before being subdued by fellow passengers, a sheriff’s spokesman said.
Frontier Airlines will begin closing check-in counters 60 minutes before flights starting Aug. 16
Fliers on Frontier Airlines will need to get to the airport 15 minutes sooner than before starting on Aug. 16, when the carrier’s check-in counters will begin closing 60 minutes prior to flights.
6 months after the East Palestine train derailment, Congress is deadlocked on new rules for safety
Congress responded to the fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio earlier this year with bipartisan alarm, holding a flurry of hearings about the potential for railroad crashes to trigger even larger disasters. Both parties agreed that a legislative response was needed.
Seattle monorail strikes, kills 14-year-old boy spraying graffiti on nearby building
A 14-year-old boy spraying graffiti on a building Sunday night was fatally struck by the Seattle Center Monorail, the Seattle Police Department announced.
GM recalls nearly 900 vehicles with Takata air bag inflators, blames manufacturing problem
General Motors is recalling nearly 900 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada with Takata air bag inflators that could explode and hurl shrapnel in a crash.
16 workers killed in the collapse of a crane being used to build a bridge in India
A huge crane collapsed at a highway construction site in western India, killing at least 16 workers, the country’s National Disaster Response Force said Tuesday.
Metro to allow boarding at both sets of doors on 450 buses
The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority will add rear-door SmarTrip card readers on 450 buses as part of improving fareboxes, the agency announced at a board meeting Thursday.
First ships on board military’s tanker security program
The Transportation Department this week signed up the first nine commercial ships for its Tanker Security Program, which provides the Pentagon with a fleet of privately owned bulk petroleum carriers.
Who’s in charge of Nashville’s airport? U.S. and Tennessee officials disagree under a new state law
While Nashville International Airport hums to the tune of live music in a terminal filled with tourists and locals alike, this trendy gateway to Tennessee has quietly confronted an identity crisis.
France bans United Airlines pilot for one year for showing up at Paris airport drunk
A pilot for United Airlines was given a suspended six-month prison sentence, banned from flying in the E.U. for a year and fined nearly $5,000 by a French court after he showed up for work drunk.
Airplane bathrooms are about to get roomier thanks to DOT rule change
Bathrooms on single-aisle aircraft with 125 or more seats now must be bigger to accommodate handicapped people, the Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.
Ukrainian security service claims responsibility for October Crimea bridge blast
Ukraine’s security service claimed responsibility for the first time on Wednesday for an explosion that badly damaged the Kerch Bridge linking the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula with Russia last October.
Naked woman arrested for shooting at drivers in middle of major Bay Area bridge
A naked woman was arrested Tuesday for firing a gun at motorists and in the air on a bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland, according to authorities.
FedEx pilots reject contract deal as negotiations continue
Unionized FedEx pilots declined a tentative contract deal Monday that would have boosted pay by at least 30%.
Traveling the road to prosperity in Maryland by bus, bike, and rail
Show me a neighborhood with easy access to transportation, and I will show you a neighborhood that thrives.
Traffic on key bridge from Crimea to Russia’s mainland halted after attack that kills 2
Traffic on the key bridge connecting Crimea to Russia’s mainland was halted on Monday after one of its sections was blown up in what Russian officials said was a Ukrainian attack that also killed a married couple and injured their daughter.