Biden hails Amtrak upgrades headed to Hornell Alstom Updated at

Amtrak is receiving a $2.45 billion loan from the federal government to buy new trains that will be built in Hornel, upgrade tracks and make platform improvements along the busy Northeast corridor, the largest such loan ever by the Department of Transportation, officials announced Friday. Vice President Joe Biden, a champion of Amtrak who rode the corridor's trains almost daily during his more than three decades in the Senate, joined Amtrak officials and deputy transportation secretary Victor Mendez in making the announcement at the Wilmington, Delaware, station named for Biden.

Railcar Factory Faces $105K OSHA Bill

A major manufacturer of railcars and equipment in the U.S. faces $105,000 in fines after allegedly exposing painters and other workers to unsafe levels of dangerous chemicals, including lead and cadmium. The Alstom Transportation Inc. manufacturing facility in Hornell, NY, faces 17 serious violations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after inspections found that the company allegedly failed to train and protect workers dealing with chemicals known to cause cancer and other health problems.