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Two robotaxi groups flag services for Singapore
Two Chinese firms announced on Saturday that they would partner with local companies to launch robotaxi service in Singapore as the city-state expands its autonomous driving. Grab, a ride-hailing service operator in China, announced that it will partner with WeRide next year to launch services. Pony.ai, ComfortDelGro and others said they would be partnering for similar services. They were waiting on regulatory approval. Grab announced in a press release that it had been chosen by the local authorities to run two autonomous shuttle services in the Punggol region. WeRide will start taking passengers in five- and eight seater vehicles from early 2026, after an initial phase of familiarisation for the vehicle to study the route in detail. WeRide received a permit in July from the Shanghai Municipal Government to operate an autonomous robotaxi ride hailing service. Pony.ai stated in a press release that it plans to launch autonomous services with fixed routes in Punggol before expanding into other areas. The company said that services would begin within the next few months, after receiving regulatory approval. Pony.ai has now launched commercial robotaxis across four of China's biggest cities: Beijing, Shanghai Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. After raising $260 millions from its Nasdaq listing, in November, the Toyota-backed company began exploring the deployments of its driverless services in South Korea. The company has stated that it will increase its robotaxi fleet by 1,000 vehicles by the end this year. Singapore has explored autonomous driving technologies. Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow visited several autonomous driving companies located in China in the month of June. Singapore has already created smaller test zones to test the technology.
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Tesla gets approval to test autonomous robotaxis at Arizona Test Site
The state transportation department approved Tesla to begin testing autonomous robotaxis with a safety monitor on Friday. The Arizona Department of Transportation stated in an email that Tesla applied for a permit in June to start trials for an autonomous ride-sharing service. It now plans to test roboticaxis using safety drivers in the Phoenix Metro Area. Tesla has not responded to our request for comment. It wasn't immediately clear when or for how long the trials would take place. Tesla's Chief Executive Elon M Musk stated previously that Tesla planned to launch an automated ride-hailing services to approximately half of the U.S. populace by the end this year. Tesla launched a test of its robotaxi in Austin, Texas in June. The service was limited to a few dozen vehicles and a selected group of passengers. There were also many restrictions including the presence of a safety monitor on the front passenger's seat. (Reporting and editing by Tom Hogue, Preetika Parshuraman, and Chris Kirkham)
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Trump: Merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern sounds good
Donald Trump, the president of the United States, said that he thought it was a good idea to merge Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern for $85 billion. The Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena and President Trump met in the Oval Office last week to discuss the railroad’s plan to buy out Norfolk Southern. Trump told reporters Friday in the Oval Office that "Union Pacific is an excellent railroad." The announcement in July of the merger of two of the major U.S. railroad operators shocked the market, which was already highly concentrated. Under the Biden administration's aggressive antitrust policies, such a proposal was unthinkable. Trump's backing could speed up the review process in an agreement that is facing opposition from rivals, and pushback by shippers worried about reduced competition. If approved, the tie-up could transform the U.S. rail freight industry, creating the first coast to coast single-line network. It would streamline operations and eliminate interchange delays at key hubs such as Chicago. Union Pacific is the dominant freight rail carrier in Western United States. Norfolk Southern, on the other hand, is the leading carrier in Eastern United States. Together they make up two of the major U.S. class I railroads along with BNSF Railway, CSX Corp, and BNSF. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, which owns BNSF Railway sent a strong message last month against more consolidation, and said he wasn't interested in buying another railway. BNSF and CSX are the two major U.S. railroads that do not operate a transcontinental network. Last week, the White House announced that it would nominate Surface Transportation Board member Michelle Schultz to a second term, and Richard Kloster, a transportation consultant who runs a private company, for an open seat in the agency. Last month, the White House fired Surface Transportation Board Member Robert Primus. Primus was appointed by former President Joe Biden.
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The death toll in the tanker truck explosion that occurred in Mexico City has risen to 25
MEXICO CITY (Sept. 19) - The death count from an explosion that occurred in the capital of Mexico involving a truck transporting liquefied petrol gas (LPG), has now reached 25, according to the city's Health Ministry. The truck carrying about 50,000 liters LPG overturned and crashed into a wall. A rupture released gas which ignited and caused an explosion. The fire then consumed around 30 cars. Since last Wednesday, the number of fatalities has increased. The truck exploded and burst into fire while driving on a busy highway near Iztapalapa in Mexico City. Mexico City Health Ministry: "In relation to the Iztapalapa accident, we can confirm 21 people are still hospitalized. 38 people have been discharged and 25 tragically died." The incident has sparked frustration about safety conditions on Mexico’s highways and led to calls for tighter supervision of hazardous cargo transportation and road maintenance. Residents expressed frustration with the challenges they face on the outskirts of the city, where commutes can be long and difficult. The driver of the truck died this week. One of the youngest victims is a two-year old girl who was transported last week to an American hospital in Galveston Texas. At least 11 minors were also injured by the explosion and treated locally. Initial investigations by the city authorities indicated that excessive speed and lack skill of the driver caused the accident. The investigation is ongoing. Reporting by Diego Ore, Writing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez, Natalia Siniawski and Editing by Richard Chang
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US lawmakers want to sanction Russia's "shadow fleet"
On Friday, a group of Republican senators and Democratic senators in the United States introduced legislation that would increase sanctions against Russian energy. The legislation specifically targets a collection older oil tankers which lawmakers claim are used to avoid existing U.S. sanctions on energy. The "Sanctioning Harbors and Dodgers of Western Sanctions" or SHADOW Fleets Act is a response to President Donald Trump's statement that he wanted to discourage other countries from buying Russian oil. This fuels Russia’s economy and pays for its war in Ukraine. The bill was sponsored by Senators Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho and Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire and the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Seven other Republican and Democratic Senators also signed the bill. The bill targets the shadow fleet by providing the U.S. with a list that can be used to identify vessels supporting Russian naval forces. It also establishes strict sanctions liability on any ship involved in a transfer involving a sanctioned ship. It also sanctions Russian Arctic Liquid Natural Gas Projects and the development of new Russian LNG projects. The Nord Stream II pipeline from Europe would also be terminated. This measure would also bring U.S. sanctioning more in line with the European Union. EU officials announced on Friday that the bloc intends to ban Russian LNG exports one year earlier than anticipated, as part a 19th set of sanctions against Moscow. Prospects for the bill were unclear. The prospects of a separate bill to impose tough sanctions on Russia were not clear. While the world was reacting to the Russian incursion in Estonian airspace that raised concerns of increased instability, several groups of senators introduced separate bills Friday to increase security in Eastern Europe as well as use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine.
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Trump administration strikes deal with Washington Union Station to regain control
The Trump administration announced late Friday that it had reached a deal with the federal government to regain control of Washington Union Station, located in the nation’s capital. The U.S. Department of Transportation, President Donald Trump’s latest initiative to increase federal control, announced last month that it would reclaim the management of Washington's Union Station. It is one of the nation's largest rail hubs. The federal government will assume control of Union Station under a new agreement signed by Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration. The FRA stated that "regaining control of the station will allow Amtrak the freedom to concentrate on its core mission, which is providing rail transportation." USDOT has said that it will increase security by focusing on short-term projects to address a backlog and long-term Union Station vision using private investment. The federal government owns the majestic, but worn-out Beaux-Arts-style station that opened in 1907 but it is run by a non-profit organization working with Amtrak. Amtrak is the government-owned rail passenger service. Washington Mayor Muriel bowser praised this decision last month, stating that the city couldn't afford to spend $8 billion or even more on renovating the station. (Reporting and editing by Franklin Paul, Lisa Shumaker and David Shepardson)
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US files court statements to support Enbridge pipeline in Michigan case
The Trump administration has taken a side with Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge, in its legal fight against Michigan. Last week the Trump administration filed a court declaration that challenged the state's attempts to shut down Line 5 oil pipeline. Enbridge and Michigan have been in a long-standing dispute over the Line 5 pipeline. This aging pipeline transports 540,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia (Ontario). The Calgary-based firm proposes to build an approximately 4-mile (6 km) tunnel for the pipe, which crosses the Straits of Mackinac on the Great Lakes. Native American tribes, as well as environmental groups are opposed to the project. They fear that it could pose a threat to the Great Lakes. Enbridge stated in a press release that it is confident in the Michigan Public Service Commission’s permit process which approved the project.
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FAA orders ground stop at two Dallas airports due to telephone issue
After a communication problem caused more than 300 delays, the Federal Aviation Administration announced ground stops on Friday at Dallas Love Field Airport and Dallas Fort Worth Airport. The FAA reported that it was slowing down traffic because of a reported issue with local telephone equipment, which did not involve FAA-owned equipment. The FAA said it was working with the phone company to identify the cause. It is expected that the issues will continue for several hours. This year, the FAA faced a number of communication issues. The FAA has slowed down flights at Denver International Airport on Thursday due to automation issues. These issues were caused by a manual handoff procedure between the approach control tower and Denver Air Traffic Control. This resulted in delays of 30 to 45 min. In July, Congress approved an initial funding of $12.5 billion to upgrade the aging U.S. Air Traffic Control System. According to FAA officials, the system is experiencing tech problems almost every day. It has been years since the FAA's air traffic control network was in trouble. But a series of high-profile incidents, near-misses and staffing shortages as well as a January crash between a U.S. Army chopper and regional American Airlines plane that killed 67 people have sparked public concern. Reporting by Christian Martinez, David Shepardson and Ryan Patrick Jones from Los Angeles; Editing and proofreading by Caitlin webber and Franklin Paul.
New Jersey Transit rail strikes begins after 40 years as wage negotiations stall
New Jersey commuter rail engineers left their jobs early on Friday morning after marathon contract negotiations stalled before a midnight deadline set by their union for meeting wage demands. This ignited the first strike in the U.S. since more than 40 year.
The strike began at 12:01 am EDT (0401 GMT), on Friday. It is expected to cause hundreds of thousands daily of passengers in New Jersey, and New York, to be unable of travel.
NJ Transit announced that its rail system would begin a "safe shutdown" at 12 a.m. No new departures will be made after this time, but trains already on their way will finish their journeys.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), which represents 450 NJ Transit commuter train engineers, reported that a nonstop 15-hour bargaining session ended on Thursday night when negotiators from the management walked out at 10 p.m.
At a press conference, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy held with NJ Transit Chief Executive Officer Kris Kolluri. The management told reporters that although talks were paused, they would be willing to resume them at any time.
Murphy, a Democrat told reporters: "We need to reach a deal that's fair for employees, and also affordable." "Let's go back to the table to seal a deal."
Murphy and Kolluri stated that the U.S. National Mediation Board reached out to the two sides to suggest reopening the talks on Sunday or earlier if they wished.
The union statement did not mention when the talks could be resumed. The union said that pickets would be set up at 4 am at various locations throughout the rail system. These included NJ Transit's HQ in Newark and Penn Station in New York City.
The Governor and NJ Transit CEO have also laid out contingency plans to deal with the work stoppage. This is the first transit strike in New Jersey since 1983, when a three-week walkingout took place.
Workers Urged to Stay Home
In anticipation of the strike, the agency had already cancelled trains and buses from MetLife Stadium to Shakira concerts at MetLife Stadium on Thursday and Friday evenings.
NJ Transit issued an advisory encouraging commuters to start working from home on Friday, if possible.
In the event of a strike, the agency would increase bus services on existing lines. It would also charter private buses that would operate from satellite lots. However, it warned that buses could only handle 20% of rail passengers.
The union members rejected a possible deal that negotiators agreed to in March.
The union claims that it simply wants to raise salaries for engineers to be on par with those of commuter trains in the area.
NJ Transit says it cannot afford to pay the wage increases that engineers want because 14 other unions who negotiate separate labor agreements with the agency will demand the same higher wage rates for members.
NJ Transit claims that engineers make an average of $135,000 and that the management offered a contract that would result in a salary average of $172,000. The union, however, has challenged these figures and said that the average salary for engineers is $113,000.
Both parties have accused each other of unfair bargaining.
Kolluri stated last week that "the union is playing a chicken game with the lives 350,000 riders."
Tom Haas said, "We've asked for nothing more than equal wages for equal work. But we have been continually rejected by New Jersey Transit", the general chairman of the union, Tom Haas. Reporting by Joseph Ax from Princeton, New Jersey. Steve Gorman, Los Angeles, contributed additional reporting and writing; Lincoln Feast edited the article.
(source: Reuters)