Tuesday morning rail news:
— A passenger who traveled on a Chicago-St. Louis train last week has recorded a “presumptive positive” test for the Covid-19 virus, leading Amtrak to remove the trainset for disinfecting and cancel one round trip on Sunday. The State Journal-Register reports that the train in question was the Wednesday, March 4, Lincoln Service train No. 303, a 9:25 a.m. departure from Chicago. The passenger, a woman in her 20s, had flown into Chicago and then took the train to St. Louis; she began feeling ill the next day and contacted authorities. She is the first reported coronavirus case in Missouri.
— New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio are asking sick people to stay off public transit and suggesting other moves to combat the spread of the coronavirus, including waiting for the next subway train if one is too crowded. WNBC-TV reports that Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Patrick Foye also recommended alternatives such as walking and biking if possible. Foye told a Monday press conference that it is too soon to tell if virus concerns are affecting MTA ridership. Cuomo, who declared a state of emergency in New York on Saturday because of an increasing number of Covid-19 cases, said Sunday that “at this time, there’s no reason to shut down mass transit,” the New York Post reports.
— The Massachusetts Department of Transportation will study a possible extension of commuter rail service to the Cape Cod community of Bourne, Mass., CapeCod.com reports. The area already has summer-only weekend passenger service via the CapeFlyer, a collaboration of MassDot, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and the Cape Cod Regional Trainsportation Authority that began in 2013.
— Violent incidents have increased aboard VIA Rail Canada’s trains in Western Canada since Greyhound ended bus service in much of the region, leaving VIA trains as the only significant ground public transportation option, Global News reports. In the 15 months since Greyhound service ended, security incidents have gone from less than one a month to more than three a month, according to VIA security logs.
— Nadeem Velani, Canadian Pacific’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, has been named Canada’s CFO of the year for 2020 by Financial Executives international Canada, PwC Cnada, and Robert Half. Velani has been CP’s chief financial officer since 2016.
I tried adding comments on the VIA violence story – couldn’t do it.
I live in Vancouver and saw nothing about this incident on Global, CTV or the CBC. Nothing on the radio news and nothing in the press. I’m not saying it didn’t happen but if it was so serious why was there virtually nothing in the rest of the media about it.
don’t know why that lady who flew in from Italy to Chi was not detained at airport in isolation quarantine. She should not have been boarding a train to my home town. They have cut those cars out of service until they have been thoroughly cleaned and are cleaning our station and also CUS. They were supposed to be on self-quarantine at home, but dad took her sister to father/daughter dance at classy hotel and infected a bunch of people. She goes to a very high class private school so I guess they thought they could do what they wanted. Her mom was supposedly running around doing errands too. Now their lawyer is saying they not know about quarantine, but St. Louis County government said they were told as soon as she arrived home and tested positive. Everybody is pretty mad about it.
“Violent incidents have increased aboard VIA Rail Canada trains in Western Canada since Greyhound ended bus service in much of the region….”
So, are the “First Nations” protests in Western Canada now taking place on VIA Rail Canada passenger trains? OR, are the “violent incidents” merely shifting from onboard Greyhound buses to VIA Rail Canada passenger trains in Western Canada?
Andrew Chandler,
HIPAA can still be complied with as long as you do NOT name the person infected, secondly there is such a thing as presumptive positive, it’s a preliminary result of positive but waiting for the complete analysis to come back.
Now, if the American public would ever bother to learn the facts we wouldn’t be having this problem, but like the railroads, facts don’t seem to matter to anyone anymore.
Regarding the Lincoln Service.
I’m waiting for the old women of both sexs to start in on me regarding the Cofefe virus. I have chronic bronchitis – have had it for over 20 years – and sometimes have these spectacular coughing fits. I can just see it now. I’m coughing up a lung and they’re all huddled in the corner frantically dialing 911.
I get really annoyed when people – especially mouth-breathing cops – try to live my life for me. And, extremely uncooperative.
The above comments are generic in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Every hour on the hour the wizened little gnome came to the front of the cell, screamed “Yngvi is a louse!” through the bars, and then retired to the recesses of the cell.
Presumtive positive is euphemism. It is positive, negative or we do not know. Additionally, whatever happened to HIPPA compliance?