WASHINGTON—U.S. President Donald Trump is donating his fourth-quarter salary in 2017 to the Transportation Department to help address the nation’s infrastructure.Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is accepting the check from the president in the amount of $100,000. The donation announced Tuesday in the White House briefing room comes a day after Trump released a plan to rebuild crumbling roads, bridges and ports.The Transportation Department says the funds will be used for a grant program that deals with critical infrastructure projects.The president previously donated his salary to the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Park Service and the Education Department.As a candidate, Trump vowed not to take a salary, which is $400,000 annually. By law, he must be paid, so he is donating the money. … [Read more...] about Trump donates $100,000 of annual salary to U.S. Transportation Department
Transportation
Katie Couric is being mocked for saying the Netherlands dominates speed skating because it’s ‘an important mode of transportation’ in Amsterdam
Katie Couric is coming under fire for saying ice skating is an “important mode of transportation” for people who live in Amsterdam. She cited the frozen canals of Amsterdam as the explanation for why the Dutch are so good at speed skating. The canals don’t actually freeze very often and when they do, the Dutch do have things like cars. Katie Couric is coming under fire for comments she made during the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. As the Netherlands’ delegation entered the stadium during the parade of athletes, Couric attempted to explain why the nation dominates the sport of speed skating. During the explanation, Couric cited the canals of Amsterdam, and called skating “an important mode of transportation” for when the canals freeze during the winter. “It is probably not a news flash to tell you the Dutch are really, really good at speed skating. All but five of the 110 … [Read more...] about Katie Couric is being mocked for saying the Netherlands dominates speed skating because it’s ‘an important mode of transportation’ in Amsterdam
Despite low ridership, new transportation minister says studying GO train service for her riding is a priority
Ontario’s new transportation minister has said she will make it a priority to look into bringing GO train service to her home riding, despite the fact ridership on the existing GO bus line there is the lowest in the region, and logistical challenges make upgrading to rail service a distant possibility. Hours after being appointed to lead the ministry Wednesday, Kathryn McGarry told the Waterloo Region Record that as one of her first orders of business she would examine the possibility of extending GO train service to Cambridge, in the riding she has represented as Liberal MPP since the 2014 election. “I am looking forward to having that as one of my first briefings; I think the team here is aware that is something that I want to dig down into the details and see what the updated news will be,” she said. Cambridge’s leaders have long advocated for a GO train stop in the city, which has a population of about 135,000. Current GO rail service on the Milton corridor … [Read more...] about Despite low ridership, new transportation minister says studying GO train service for her riding is a priority
Six dead, transport cancelled by huge Europe storms
BERLIN: Violent gales battered northern Europe and beyond Thursday, snapping air and train links and leaving six people dead. Germany halted all long-distance rail traffic for at least a day, while numerous domestic flights were scrapped as hurricane-force winds lashed the country.A 59-year-old man was killed instantly when a tree fell on him in North Rhine-Westphalia state, German police said, as wind speeds attained a high of 203 kilometres an hour (126 mph) at the Brocken -- the highest peak of northern Germany.Another man, a 68-year-old truck driver, died in a traffic accident also in the western German state caused by the ferocious storm, while a firefighter lost his life as he was hit by a fallen tree in central Germany's Bad Salzungen.The strong gales also forced the cancellation of a ski world championship qualifier at Oberstdorf, in the Bavarian Alps.In the Netherlands, which had borne the brunt of the severe winter storms earlier Thursday, two people were crushed by falling … [Read more...] about Six dead, transport cancelled by huge Europe storms
Transport’s the winning ticket
This will be an interesting year for Bangkok's infrastructure scene, with the government's unrelenting efforts to bolster development across the country becoming ever more apparent. Whether the copious big-money transport network projects will face more delays or maintain their timeframes, however, is a matter that transport authorities and the government will need to address in the months to come. With an election promised for late this year, the government is hoping many projects will start to deliver.(See full graphic at the end of this story)Comments made last year by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stating he wanted new buses up and running in Bangkok's roads as a "New Year's gift to the public," and that "no province will be left behind in terms of development," are sure-fire indicators of the premier's intent to boost public transport.Authorities will have to follow through with several cabinet-approved projects, many of which have been introduced under the Ministry of … [Read more...] about Transport’s the winning ticket