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The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 departments concerned with intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and secure transportation of goods and people.

FRA field inspectors inspect the railroad track as well as train control and signal systems as well operating practices. They also investigate complaints.

Definition

A federal railroad is a rail carrier in the United States that is controlled by the government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces regulations governing railways as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve rail transportation. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies within 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 is conducted through the nation's rail network. The agency also coordinates the funding provided by the federal government for rail transportation and supports the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor passenger service. Moreover, the agency regulates the ownership and operation of all intermodal facilities, such as tracks, right-of-way equipment, real property and rolling stock, and provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.

The FRA's responsibilities also include the establishment through regulation, and after an opportunity for comments an procedure that anyone can report to the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or issues. Additionally, the FRA creates policies and conducts inspections to assess the compliance with its rail safety regulations 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 has the responsibility of ensuring that the railway transportation system is operated in a safe, economical, and environmentally friendly manner. This is why the agency requires railroads to maintain a safe working environment and provide adequate training for their employees. The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is billed fair prices for transportation services.

The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and implements rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees. They also shield whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also has an procedure through which railroad employees can make complaints against the company's actions.

The primary goal of the agency is to ensure the safe, reliable and efficient transportation of people and goods 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, coordinating and supporting the development of a rail network, and helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were essentially monopolies with little competition. The railroad industry abused its dominance in the market as a result. This is why Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to prevent the abuses committed by railroad monopolies.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a federal agency that makes rules, oversees funds for rail and researches ways to improve the nation's rail transportation system. It manages the railroad infrastructure of the United States and oversees passenger and freight railroads. It is one of the 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also tasked with maintaining and expanding existing railway systems, ensuring ability of the rail industry to meet growing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in national and regional system planning.

Security is the primary responsibility when it comes to rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has a variety of divisions that oversee the country's passenger and freight railroad operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of these with approximately 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, including track signalling, train control, motive and equipment, operating procedures, hazmat and highway-rail grade crosses.

FRA has additional departments which include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs aimed at improving freight and passenger rail transport, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for the grants given to railways, and collaborates with other agencies to plan the nation's rail requirements.

Another important function of the FRA is the enforcement of federal Employers’ liability act laws regarding railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against employees and ensuring that all injured railway staff are transported to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. It also prohibits railroads to delay or refuse medical treatment for injured railway workers.

The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger rail industry, however other agencies oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for determining rates and governing economics in the sector. It is the regulatory authority for railroad mergers, line-sales, construction, and abandonment. Other responsibilities include establishing rules after opportunity for public input that allows anyone to submit complaints about rail safety violations to the agency.

Functions

Railroads transport goods and people to and from cities in the developed countries as also remote villages in less-developed countries. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and final goods from these facilities to stores or warehouses. Rail is a crucial mode of transportation for a range of essential commodities including grain, oil and coal. In 2020, freight railroads carried more than a quarter of all freight volumes in the United America [PDF(PDF).

The federal railroad is run just like other businesses. It has departments for marketing and operations, sale, and an executive department. The marketing and sales department consults with customers and potential clients to determine the services they need and how much they should cost. The operations department then develops the rail services that meet these requirements at the cheapest cost to earn money for the railroad. The executive department oversees the entire operation, ensuring that every department is operating efficiently.

The government provides support to railways in a variety of ways, from grants to subsidized rates for shipping government traffic. Congress also offers funds to help construct new tracks and stations. These subsidies are usually in addition to the revenues the railroads earn from tickets and freight contracts.

In the United States, the government is the owner of the railway for passengers, Amtrak. It is a quasi-public for-profit corporation, which has the United States Government as a major stockholder.

The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) main task is to formulate and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical state of trains as well as the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on rail security to identify patterns areas that require improvement or attention from the regulatory side and to determine trends.

In addition to these fundamental functions, FRA works on various other projects related to improving the security and economy of railway transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA aims to reduce barriers that could hinder railroads' implementation of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a safety system that uses sensors and computers on board to stop the train when it gets too close to a vehicle or other object.

History

In the 1820s-1830s, the first railroads in America were built, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. Railroads significantly accelerated industrialization in those areas, and also brought more food items to the market. This allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports from abroad, which in turn helped to foster a strong economic base.

In the latter part of the 19th century the railroad industry enjoyed an "Golden Age" in which new, more efficient rail lines were constructed and passenger travel became popular. The government's efforts in expanding the railroad system were a major factor. For example the government provided land grants to homesteaders to encourage them to move to the West and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads joined forces to construct the first transcontinental railroad which made it possible to travel from New York to San Francisco in 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 became more popular. In the meantime, the stifling of regulation made it difficult for railroads to compete. The industry was plagued by a succession of bankruptcy, service cuts, and deferred maintenance. The misguided federal rail regulations contributed to the decline.

Around the year 1970 the federal employers liability act government began to loosen the regulatory burdens on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic issues like railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also established, which is responsible for establishing standards for rail safety and is among the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that oversees freight and passenger transportation.

Since then, a significant deal of investment has been made in the country's railroad infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor, for example was rebuilt to accommodate faster, more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT) trains. There have also been efforts to create more efficient systems for freight rail. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its partnership with all transportation agencies in order to ensure reliable and safe railroads. FRA's mission is to ensure that the nation's transportation system runs as efficiently as is possible.