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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

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

FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to decide which cases merit the time-consuming and precise civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are punished.

Members of SMART-TD and their allies made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to keep two people in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight is not over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a variety of safety measures in place to ensure the safety and health of its employees and the general public. It creates and enforces regulations for rail safety as well as manages funding for rail and fela researches strategies for improving rail and technologies. It also formulates plans, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain the current rail infrastructure and services. It also expands and improves strategically the rail network across the nation. The department expects all rail companies to abide by strict rules and regulations, empower their employees and provide them with tools needed to be successful and safe. This includes participating in the confidential close-call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees, with full participation from unions and protection against retaliation and providing employees with personal safety equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations. They perform routine inspections on equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties may be handed out to those who violate the rail safety laws. Safety inspectors at the agency have a broad discretion to determine whether violations fall within the definition provided by law of an act that is punishable with civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also examines the reports that regional offices submit to ensure they are legal before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at both the regional and field levels helps ensure that the lengthy, time-consuming civil penalty process is applied only in situations which truly warrant the deterrent impact of a civil penalty.

To be convicted of a civil offense the employee of a rail company must know the rules and regulations that govern the conduct of his or her employees. They must also knowingly not adhere to these rules. The agency doesn't consider that a person who acts on a supervisor's directive has committed a willful offense. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the entire network that carries goods and passengers between metropolitan areas and cities. A plant railroad's trackage in a steel mill is not considered part of the general rail system of transportation even though it is physically connected to it.

Regulation

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

While the majority of the agency's activities are focused on freight transportation, it also handles passenger transportation. The agency is trying to connect people with the destinations they desire and offer more choices for travel. The agency's focus is on improving the passenger's experience and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads must comply with a range of federal regulations, which include the ones pertaining to the size and composition of crews on trains. This is controversial in recent years, with several states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum crew size requirements, ensuring that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.

This also requires every railroad that has one-person train crews to inform FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to better understand the specific parameters of each operation and compare them to those of a standard two-person crew operation. Additionally, this rule changes the criteria for reviewing an approval petition that is based on determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining if approving the operation would be as secure or as safe as an operation with two crew members.

During the time of public comments for this rule, a large number of people voted for a requirement of two persons on the crew. A letter from 29 people outlined their concerns that a single crew member might not be as quick to respond to train malfunctions or grade crossing incidents or assist emergency response personnel at a highway rail grade crossing. Commenters pointed out that human factors are the reason for more than half of all railroad accidents. They believe that a bigger crew could ensure the security of the train as well as its cargo.

Technology

Freight and passenger railroads employ numerous technologies to improve efficiency, improve security, improve safety and more. The rail industry vernacular contains a myriad of specific terms and acronyms, but some of the more notable developments include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers and drones that are not piloted (commonly known as drones).

Technology isn't merely replacing jobs, it's also empowering individuals to perform their work better and safer. Passenger railroads are using smartphone 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 becoming reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure secure, reliable, and affordable transportation in the United States is focusing on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars effort that will see tunnels and bridges restored as well as tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations rebuilt or replaced. The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically expand the agency's rail improvements programs.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a crucial element in this initiative. The most recent National Academies review of the office revealed that it was successful in engaging with, maintaining communication and utilizing inputs from a range of stakeholders. It is still required to consider how its research contributes towards the department's primary objective of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people by rail.

The agency could increase its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the principal industry association for the freight rail industry, which focuses on research policy, standard-setting and policy, established the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to assist in helping establish standards for the industry.

FRA is interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy, a standard that will clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that will be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will also want to know the degree of safety risk that the industry sees with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether or not the industry is contemplating additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are embracing technology to increase worker safety, increase efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the cargo they transport is delivered in good condition. Examples of this kind of technological advancement vary from the use sensors and cameras to monitor freight, to new railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency responders to locations of accidents so they can quickly mitigate the damage and minimize risk to people and property.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is among the most significant innovations in rail. It can keep train-to-train accidents out of the way, as well as situations when trains are in a position they shouldn't be, and other accidents caused by human error. The system is comprised of three components: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that collects and analyses data.

Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to enhance security and safety. Amtrak for instance, is testing the use of drones to assist train security staff locate passengers and items in the event of an emergency. The company is also examining ways to use drones. They could be used to examine bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is a different technology that can be used in railways that transport passengers. It can detect objects or people on tracks and alert motorists that it is not safe to continue. These types of technologies can be particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings as well as other issues that can arise in the off-hours, when traffic volumes are lowest and there are fewer people to witness an accident.

Telematics is another important technological breakthrough in the railway industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other parties to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. Railcar operators and crews can benefit from increased accountability and visibility which can help them to increase efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays when delivering freight.