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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for safety regulations for rail and enforcement, as well as funding for rail, and research on improving rail strategies.

FRA field inspectors employ discretion to determine which cases merit the precise and time-consuming civil penalty process. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are punished.

SMART-TD, along with its allies, made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be in the cabs of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to ensure the health and welfare of employees as well as the general public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing regulations for rail safety. It also administers rail funding and studies rail improvement strategies and technological developments. It also develops and implements a plan to maintain current rail services, employers’ liability act fela infrastructure and capacity, and strategically develops and enhances the national rail network. The department demands that all rail companies adhere to strict regulations and empower their employees, and provide them with tools to be secure and productive. This includes participating in an anonymous close-call reporting system, establishing labor-management occupational safety and health committees that have full participation from unions and anti-retaliation clauses and providing employees with the required personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections on equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Anyone who is in violation of rail safety laws may be subject to civil penalties. The agency's safety inspectors are able to decide on the extent to which a particular violation meets the statutory description of a crime that is punishable by civil penalties. In addition the Office of Chief Counsel's safety department examines all reports submitted by regional offices for legality before determining penalties. The exercise of this discretion at both the field and regional levels ensures that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is applied only in those situations that truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil penalty.

A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his actions, and not knowingly violate those rules to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. However the agency doesn't consider anyone who acts under a directive from 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. The trackage of a plant railroad in a steel mill is not considered to be part of the overall rail system of transportation, even although it is physically connected to it.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains including those related to safety and the movement of hazardous substances. The agency also manages financing for rail including loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvements. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's rail infrastructure. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for capacity expansion and expanding the network strategically and coordinating national and regional system planning and development.

The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation, but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is working to connect people to destinations they desire and offer more alternatives for travel. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations, including those related to the size of the crews on trains. In recent times this issue has been a source of contention. Certain states have passed legislation mandating two-person crews in trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum crew size requirements, ensuring that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.

This also requires every railroad that has a single-person train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation to the standard two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the standard for reviewing an application for special approval from determining whether an operation is "consistent" with fela railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is as safe or less risky than a two-person crew operation.

During the public comment period for this rule, a large number of people supported a two-person crew requirement. In a form letter, 29 people expressed their concerns that a single member of the crew would not be able to respond in a timely manner to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings, or assist emergency personnel on an elevated highway crossing. Commenters emphasized that human factors are responsible for more than half of all railroad accidents. They believe that a bigger crew will ensure the safety of the train as well as its cargo.

Technology

Railroads that transport passengers and freight employ various technologies to enhance efficiency, increase security, improve safety and more. Rail industry jargon covers various specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also called drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicle (also called drones).

Technology isn't just about replacing certain jobs. It allows people to perform their jobs better and with greater security. Passenger railroads are using smartphones and contactless fare payment cards to improve ridership and make the system more efficient. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are moving closer to reality.

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

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a major component of this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office concluded that it was successful in engaging, maintaining communications with and using inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. It is still required to consider how its research contributes to the department's primary goal of ensuring the safety of goods and people by rail.

One area in which the agency might be able to increase its effectiveness is in identifying and assisting the development 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, established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to assist in helping develop standards within the industry.

The FRA is interested in the group’s development of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This could be applicable to both rail transit and on-road vehicles. The agency will need to know the level of risk that the industry perceives with fully automated operation, as well as whether the industry is considering any additional safeguards to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting new technologies to improve worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes and ensure that the freight they transport arrives at its destination in good condition. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Certain of these technologies offer railroads the ability to send emergency response personnel to locations of accidents so they can swiftly reduce risks to people and property.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is among the most significant developments in rail. It is designed to keep train-to-train accidents out of the way, as well as situations when trains are in a position they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human error. This system consists of three parts: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive; and a huge server that gathers and analyzes data.

Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to bolster safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist passenger security personnel in locating passengers and items on board trains in case in an emergency. The company is also exploring other ways to use drones, including deploying them to perform inspections of bridges and other infrastructure, like replacing the lights on railway towers that could be dangerous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that can be used for railways for passengers include smart track technology that can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send a warning to drivers if it's unsafe to proceed. These technologies are especially useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues during the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are less witnesses to an accident.

Another important technological breakthrough in the railway industry is telematics which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to view the condition and status of a traincar via real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews greater control and visibility. They can also help them improve efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in delivering freight to customers.