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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail, provides rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies.

FRA field inspectors employ discretion to decide on which cases are worthy of the precise and time consuming civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

SMART-TD members and allies have made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to ensure that two people are in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The federal employers’ liability Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to protect the health and safety of employees and the public. It creates and enforces safety regulations for rail, administers rail funding and researches strategies for improving rail and technology. It also formulates plans, implements and maintains plans for the maintenance of the current rail infrastructure and services. It also works to expand and improve the rail network across the nation. The department expects that all rail employers adhere to strict guidelines and empower their employees, and provide them with the tools to ensure their safety and success. This includes participating in the confidential close-call reporting system, establishing labor-management occupational health and safety committees, with full union participation, as well as protection against retaliation and providing employees with personal safety equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations of complaints of non-compliance. Civil penalties can be applied to those who break railroad safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have a broad decision-making power to determine if violations fall within the statutory definition of an act punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also examines all reports submitted by regional offices to determine if they are legal prior to imposing penalties. This discretion is exercised at the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied when they are necessary.

To be guilty of a civil offense the employee of a rail company must be aware of the rules and regulations governing the conduct of his or her employees. They also must be aware that they disregard these standards. The agency does not consider an individual who acted in response to a supervisor's direction is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines "general railroad injury fela lawyer system" as the entire network that carries goods and passengers within and between cities and metropolitan areas. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steel mill is not considered to be part of the overall rail transportation system, despite the fact that it's physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency is responsible for managing rail finance, including loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to devise strategies for improving the nation's rail infrastructure. This work includes maintaining existing rail infrastructure and services as well as making sure that there is enough capacity, strategically expanding the network, and coordinating national and regional systems planning and development.

While the majority of the agency's work is focused on freight transportation, it also manages the transportation of passengers. The agency is working to provide more options for passengers and connect people with the places they would like to travel to. The agency is focused on improving the passenger experience, increasing the safety of the existing fleet, and making sure that the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads are required to comply with a range of federal regulations, including those relating to the size and composition of the train crews. In recent years, this issue has been a source of contention. Some states have passed legislation that requires two-person crews in trains. The final rule codifies the minimum size of crew requirements at an international level, and ensures that all railroads are subject to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad operating one-person train crews to notify FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to better understand the specifics of each operation and compare them to the normal two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule will change the review standard for the special approval petition from to determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining if approving the operation would be as safer or more secure than a two-crewmember operation.

During the time of public comments for this rule, a lot of people expressed their support for a requirement of a two person crew. In a letter to the editor 29 people voiced their concern that a single crew member would not be in a position to respond in a timely manner to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings or assist emergency personnel on a highway-rail level crossing. Commenters emphasized that human factors are the reason for a majority of railroad accidents. They believe that a larger team will ensure the security of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails employ a variety of technologies to improve efficiency, increase security, and increase safety. Rail industry jargon covers many distinct terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also called drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems, driverless train, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also called drones).

Technology isn't just replacing some jobs -- it's empowering people to do their job more effectively and safely. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards to increase ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are getting closer to becoming reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve secure, reliable, and affordable transportation in America is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars project that will see bridges and tunnels restored tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded, and stations rebuilt or upgraded. The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will substantially grow the agency's rail improvement programs.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential element in this effort. Recent National Academies review of the office revealed that it was successful in engaging in a continuous dialogue and utilizing the inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. It must continue to consider how its research contributes to the department's primary objective of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods by rail.

The agency could enhance its efficiency by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads, the freight rail industry's primary association that focuses on research, policy, and standard setting the Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards to implement the technology.

The FRA is interested in the group’s creation of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation. This would apply to rail transit as well as on-road vehicles. The agency will also want to know the degree of safety risk that the industry perceives associated with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering adding additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Railroads are using technology to boost worker safety, make business processes more efficient, and ensure that the cargo that they transport arrives at its destination in good condition. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs that help keep dangerous cargo safe during transit. Certain of these technologies provide a way for railroads to send emergency response personnel to locations of accidents so they can swiftly reduce damage and reduce the risk to property and lives.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is among the most significant innovations in rail. It will keep train-to-train accidents out of the way, as well as situations where trains are on track they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human error. It is a three-part process consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that connect with the locomotive and an enormous backend server that analyzes and collects data.

Trains for passengers also adopt technology to increase security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to aid security staff in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in the event in an emergency. Amtrak is also looking into ways to make use of drones. They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are hazardous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is a different technology that is used in passenger railroads. It is able to detect objects or people on tracks and notify drivers if it is unsafe to continue. These technologies are especially useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized or other issues during the evenings when traffic is less and there are less witnesses to an accident.

Another important technological advancement in the rail industry is telematics which allows railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to monitor a traincar's status and condition through real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and their crews more accountability and transparency and help them improve efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays in delivering freight to customers.