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The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 agencies that deal with intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the secure and efficient transportation of people and goods.

FRA field inspectors regularly check railroad tracks, signals and train control systems as well as operating practices. They also investigate complaints.

Definition

federal employers railroads are rail carriers in the United States controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for the creation and enforcement of railway safety rules, oversees railroad funding, and researches ways to improve rail transportation systems. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation that is concerned with intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that uses the rail network of the United States. In addition the agency is also involved in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation activities. In addition, the agency oversees the operation and ownership of all intermodal facilities, such as tracks, right-of-way, equipment real property, and rolling stock, and also provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.

The FRA's responsibilities are to establish through regulation, following an notification and comment an avenue through which any person may submit a report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security problems or inconsistencies. In addition, the agency sets up policies and conducts inspections in order to evaluate the compliance with its rail safety laws in six technical disciplines that include track signals and train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the rail transportation system is safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly. In turn, the agency requires railroads to provide an environment that is safe for workers and provide adequate training for their employees. The agency also sets and enforces railroad prices to ensure that the public is billed fair prices for transportation services.

The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and implements rules to prevent discrimination towards railroad employees. It also protects whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also establishes a procedure for railroad employees to submit complaints about the company's conduct.

The primary goal of the FRA is to ensure the secure reliable and efficient movement of goods and people to ensure a secure America both now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this by regulating railroad safety, managing programs for assistance to railroads, conducting research to support the improvement of safety for railroads and national rail transportation policy and coordination, as well as supporting rail networking development as well as helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were huge monopolies that had no competition. In the end, the industry frequently abused its position in the market. Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, as well as other regulatory agencies, to limit railroad monopolies' abuses.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a federal agency that establishes regulations, manages funds for rail and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transportation system. It is responsible for both passenger and freight railroads, and operates the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of ten agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also tasked with maintaining and expanding the current rail systems, as well as ensuring the capability of the railroad industry to meet increasing travel and employers liability Act Fela freight demands and providing leadership in national and regional system planning.

The government's primary responsibility in the field of rail transportation is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for this, and has several divisions that oversee the country's freight and passenger rail operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest with approximately 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections in six different technical disciplines, including track signalling, and train control, motive and equipment operating procedures, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.

FRA has various departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. It is responsible for the programs that aim to improve passenger and freight rail transportation, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. This department also is responsible for the grants that are made to railways and collaborates with other agencies to plan for the country's rail needs.

Another essential duty of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws that pertain to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads from discriminate against employees and making sure that all injured railway staff are transported to the nearest hospital for treatment. It also prohibits railroads to deny or delay medical treatment for injured railway workers.

The FRA is the primary regulator of the freight and passenger rail industry, but other organizations manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for setting rates and managing economics in the industry. It is also responsible for regulating mergers in the railroad industry, line sales construction, and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of rules following an opportunity for public input and participation, where anyone can complain about alleged safety violations to the agency.

Functions

Rails transport people and goods from and to cities in the developed world as also to villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials to processing and manufacturing plants, and finished products from those factories to warehouses and stores. Railroads are an essential mode of transportation for many essential commodities, such as oil, coal and grains. In 2020, freight rail moved more than a quarter of nation's total freight volume [PDF(PDF).

A federal railroad operates just like any other company, with departments for marketing, sales, operations and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales consults with customers and potential clients to determine what services they require and what they need to cost. The operations department then creates the rail services that meet these requirements at the lowest possible cost to earn money for the railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation and ensures that every department is operating efficiently.

The government provides support to railways with a variety methods, including grants and subsidized rates on government traffic. Congress also provides funds to build new tracks and stations. These subsidies are usually in addition to the revenue the railroads earn from tickets and freight contracts.

Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi public for-profit company, with the United States Government as a major stockholder.

The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) primary task is to formulate and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical properties of trains and the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also analyzes and collects data on rail safety in order to identify patterns and areas that might require improvement or more regulatory attention.

In addition to these core duties, FRA works on various other projects aimed at improving the economy and security of rail transportation in the United States. The agency, for example seeks to lower the obstacles that hinder railroads in adopting positive train control (PTC). PTC is a security technology that makes use of sensors and computers to stop a train at the moment it is too close to another object or vehicle.

History

In the 1820s-1830s, the first railroads in the United States were built, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. The railroads increased industrialization and brought more food to market in these areas. This development allowed the country to become more independent and less dependent on imports from abroad, which in turn contributed to a stronger economic base.

In the late 19th century, the railroad industry enjoyed a "Golden Age" in which new, more efficient rail lines were built and passenger transportation became popular. This was in large part due to the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. The government, for instance, gave land grants to homesteaders in order to encourage them to settle in the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also partnered to build the first transcontinental railway, which allowed passengers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.

In the first half century, however the demand for passenger rail services decreased, and other modes of transportation such as cars and planes increased in popularity. Meanwhile, stifling regulation made it difficult for railroads to compete. The industry was plagued by a succession of bankruptcy service cuts, bankruptcy, and deferred maintenance. Uninformed federal rail regulations also contributed to the decline.

In the year 1970 the federal government began to ease the regulatory burdens on railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee economic aspects of the industry such as mergers and railroad rates. The Federal Railroad Administration, which supervises freight and passenger transportation and sets rail safety standards was also established.

Since then, the railroad infrastructure of the United States has seen a significant amount of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, in order to accommodate more efficient and modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There are also efforts to develop more efficient systems for freight rail. FRA hopes to continue working with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the future. It is the job of FRA to ensure that the nation's transportation system is as efficient as it can be.