• 목록
• 답변
• 글쓰기
• 게시판 리스트 옵션
  • 수정
  • 삭제

The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations It also provides rail funding and studies strategies for improving rail safety.

FRA field inspectors make use of discretion to decide on which cases warrant the exact and time consuming civil penalty process. This discretion helps ensure that the violations most deserving of punishment are punished.

SMART-TD members and allies have made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to allow two people in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight is not over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to safeguard the health and safety of its employees and the general public. It develops and enforces regulations for rail safety and oversees the funding for rail. It also studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technologies. It also develops plans, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain the current infrastructure and services for rail. It also develops and improves the rail network across the nation. The department expects all rail companies to adhere to strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and secure. This includes participating in a confidential close-call reporting system, creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees that have full participation from unions and anti-retaliation clauses and providing employees with the needed personal protective gear.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct a myriad of investigations into complaints of noncompliance. Anyone who is in violation of the safety rules for rail can be subject to civil penalties. Safety inspectors from the agency have a wide decision-making power to determine if a violation falls under the definition provided by law of an act punishable with civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also examines all reports submitted by regional offices to determine if they are legal before assessing penalties. This discretion is exercised both at the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only used in cases that warrant their use.

A rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern their actions, and not knowingly violate those standards to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. The agency does not believe that an individual who acts in response to a supervisor's direction has committed a willful offense. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system that allows passengers and goods to travel within metropolitan areas and between them. The trackage of a plant railroad at a steel mill is not considered to be part of the overall transportation system that trains, even being physically connected to it.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible to establish regulations for train operations that pertain to safety and the movement of dangerous substances. The agency also manages financing for rail, including grants and loans for infrastructure and service improvements. The agency works with other DOT agencies and the industry to develop strategies to improve the country's railroad system. This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services as well as in addition to addressing the need for additional capacity, strategically expanding the network, and coordinating regional and national systems planning and development.

The agency is mostly responsible for freight transportation but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency is working to connect people with the places they want and provide more options for travel. The agency's focus is on enhancing the experience for passengers and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail system continues to operate efficiently.

Railroads must adhere to a number of federal regulations, including those pertaining to the size of crews on trains. This is controversial in recent years, with some states passing legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum size of crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads follow the same safety standards.

This rule also requires that each railroad operating with a crew of one notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will allow FRA to assess the requirements of each operation with those of a two-person standard crew operation. Additionally this rule alters the standard of review for a special approval petition from determining whether the operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether the operation is safer or more secure than an operation with two crew members.

During the time of public comment on this rule, a number of people expressed their support for a requirement for two persons on the crew. In a form letter 29 people voiced their concern that a single crew member is not able to respond as quickly to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel on the highway-rail level crossing. Commenters noted that human factors are responsible for a majority of railroad accidents. They believe that a bigger crew will ensure the safety of the train as well as its cargo.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails use different technologies to increase efficiency, improve security, and improve safety. The rail industry lingo includes a variety of specific terms and acronyms, but some of the more notable developments include machines-vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones).

Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It empowers people to perform their jobs better and with greater security. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphone apps and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to becoming reality.

As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure secure, reliable and affordable transportation for the nation In its ongoing effort to ensure safe, reliable and affordable transportation for the nation, the federal employers Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This multi-billion dollar project will see tunnels, bridges, tracks and power systems upgraded and stations renovated or replaced. The FRA's rail improvement program will be significantly expanded by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a key element in this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office revealed that it was successful in engaging, maintaining communication using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. But it must be more focused on how its research aids in the department's main strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods by railway.

One area in which the agency may be able improve its effectiveness is in identifying and assisting the advancement of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry, which focuses on research and policy, as well as standard setting created the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help create standards within the industry.

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 could apply to rail transit as well as on-road vehicles. The agency will also want to understand the level of risk to safety that the industry perceives associated with implementing fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering additional safeguards to mitigate that risk.

Innovation

Railroads are using technology to boost worker safety and improve business processes. efficient, and ensure that the cargo they move reaches its destination intact. Examples of this innovations range from the use of sensors and cameras to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo secure during transit. Certain of these technologies allow railroads dispatch emergency responders directly to sites of accidents to minimize the risk and minimize damages to property and individuals.

One of the most prominent innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC), which will inhibit train-to-train collisions, situations where trains are on tracks they shouldn't be, as well as other accidents that result from human error. It is a three-part system consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge backend server that gathers and analyzes data.

Railroads that transport passengers are also embracing technology to improve security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist passenger security personnel in finding passengers and other items onboard trains in case of an emergency. The company is also examining ways to utilize 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.

Other technologies that could be utilized for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which is able to detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send out drivers with a warning if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These technologies are especially effective in detecting unsafe crossings or other issues in the evenings when traffic is less and there are fewer witnesses to an accident.

Telematics is another important technological advance in the rail industry. It allows railways, shippers and other stakeholders to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. Crews and railcar operators can benefit from increased accountability and transparency which will allow them to increase efficiency and avoid unnecessary maintenance. It will also help delay in the delivery of freight.