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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail The Federal Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.

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

Members of SMART-TD and their allies have made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to keep two people in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to safeguard the health of employees and public. It develops and enforces safety regulations for rail and oversees the funding for rail. It also researches strategies for improving rail and technology. It also creates, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain the current rail infrastructure and services. It also develops and improves the rail network across the nation. The department requires that all rail employers adhere to strict regulations and empower their employees, and provide them with the tools to be secure and productive. This includes taking part in the confidential close call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees that have full union participation, as well as anti-retaliation protections and providing employees with the necessary personal safety equipment.

FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of the rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a myriad of investigations of complaints of noncompliance. Those who violate the safety rules for rail can be punished with civil penalties. Safety inspectors at the agency have a broad decision-making power to determine if a violation falls under the definition provided by law of an act that is punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also examines all reports that regional offices submit to ensure that they are legal before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is used only in cases that are truly deserving of the effect of a civil penalty.

A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and be aware of the standards to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. However the agency does not consider any individual who acts under a directive by a supervisor as having committed a willful violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the whole network that passengers and goods travel within metropolitan areas or between them. A plant railroad's trackage in the steel mill isn't considered to be part of the general transportation system that trains, even although it is physically connected to it.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains, such as those relating to safety and the movement of hazardous substances. The agency also manages rail financing, including grants and loans for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency works with other DOT agencies and industry to devise strategies for improving the nation's rail infrastructure. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, responding to the demands for additional capacity, expanding the network strategically and coordinating regional and national system's development and planning.

The agency is responsible for freight transport, but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency aims to connect people with the places they want and provide more choices for travel. The agency's focus is on improving the passenger's experience as well as enhancing the safety of its current fleet, and making sure that the rail network continues operating efficiently.

Railroads are required to abide with a number of federal regulations, including those relating to the size and composition of train crews. In recent years the issue has become controversial. Certain states have passed legislation requiring two-person teams on trains. This final rule codifies the minimum requirements for crew size at an international level, and ensures that all railroads are subject to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each fela claims railroad employees that has a single-person train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to identify the specifics of each operation and compare them to the parameters of a typical two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the review standard of an approval request that is a special case from determining whether an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is safer or safer than two-person crew operation.

During the public comment period on this rule, many people backed a two-person crew requirement. In a form letter 29 people voiced their concerns that a single crew member is not capable of responding as quickly to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency personnel on an elevated highway crossing. Commenters noted that human factor are responsible for more than half all railroad accidents. They believe that a bigger crew could ensure the security of the train as well as its cargo.

Technology

Railroads for passenger and freight use a wide array of technologies to increase efficiency, add security, improve safety and more. The rail industry vernacular includes a variety of unique terms and acronyms, but some of the more notable innovations include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones).

Technology isn't just about replacing certain jobs. It helps people perform their jobs more effectively and with greater security. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones apps and contactless fare payment cards to increase ridership and make the system more efficient. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are coming closer to reality.

As part of its ongoing efforts to advance safe, reliable, and affordable transportation for the nation The Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars effort that will see tunnels and bridges repaired as well as tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations rebuilt or upgraded. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will substantially expand the agency's rail improvements programs.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a key element in this effort. The most recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging in a continuous dialogue and utilizing the inputs from a variety of stakeholders. But it still needs to be more focused on how its research helps the department achieve its primary strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods by rail.

The agency could enhance its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the principal industry association for the freight rail industry, which is focused on research and policy, as well as standard setting created a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help establish standards for the industry.

The FRA is interested in the creation of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation. This could apply to both rail transit and vehicles on the road. The agency will also want to know the degree of risk to safety that the industry sees with implementing fully automated operation and whether or not the industry is contemplating additional security measures to reduce the risk.

Innovation

Railroads are embracing technology to increase worker safety, make business processes more efficient and ensure that the freight it transports arrives at its destination intact. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight to new railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies even allow railroads to send emergency response personnel to the scene of an accident so they can quickly mitigate the damage and reduce the risk to property and lives.

One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks they shouldn't be and other accidents resulting from human mistakes. This system is a three-part system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that connect with the locomotive and a massive backend server that collects and analyzes data.

Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist security personnel in finding passengers and items on board trains in case of an emergency. The company is also examining ways to use 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 objects or people on the tracks and send out a warning to drivers if it's unsafe to proceed. These kinds of technologies can be particularly useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized as well as other issues that can arise in the off-hours, when traffic levels are lower and fewer people are around to witness an accident.

Telematics is yet another significant technological advancement in the rail industry. It allows shippers, railways and other stakeholders to track a traincar in real-time. These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews better accountability and transparency and assist them in improving efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in the delivery of freight to customers.