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 make use of discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the lengthy and precise civil penalty procedure. This discretion helps ensure that the most serious violations of punishment are penalized.
SMART-TD and its allies made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be in the locomotive cabs of freight trains. The fight continues.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to safeguard the health of employees as well as the public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also oversees rail funding and conducts research on rail improvement strategies and technological developments. It also creates and implements a strategy to ensure that current infrastructure, rail services and capacity, and strategically develops and improves the nation's rail network. The department requires that all rail companies adhere to strict rules that empower their employees and provide them with tools to ensure their safety and success. This includes an anonymous close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational safety and health committees that have full union participation and antiretaliation provisions and giving employees the necessary personal protective gear.
Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a myriad of investigations into complaints of non-compliance. Civil penalties are applied to those who break rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have a broad discretion to determine whether violations fall within the legal definition of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also scrutinizes all reports submitted by regional offices to determine if they are legal prior to imposing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at both the field and regional levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is utilized only in those situations that truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine.
To be convicted of a civil infringement an employee of a railroad must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern the conduct of his or her employees. They must also be aware of and disregard these standards. However, the agency does not consider any individual who follows a directive from a supervisor to have committed an intentional violation. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the whole network that carries goods and passengers within and 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 although it is physically connected to it.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing train regulations that pertain to safety and the transportation of dangerous substances. The agency oversees railway finance, including loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's railroad system. This work includes maintaining current rail infrastructure and services and in addition to addressing the need for additional capacity and strategically expanding the network and coordinating regional and national systems planning and development.
The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation, but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency is working to offer more options for passenger travel and connect people with the places they want to go. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience as well as enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring the railway system continues to function efficiently.
Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations, relating to the size of the crews on trains. This issue has become controversial in recent years, with a few states enacting legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. The final rule codifies the minimum requirements for crew size at a federal level, ensuring that all railroads are held to the same safety standards.
This also requires every railroad operating one-person train crews to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to better understand the specifics of each operation and compare them with those of a normal 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 to determining if the operation is safer or more secure than a two-person crew operations.
During the public comment period on this rule, a large number of people backed a two-person crew requirement. In a letter to the editor 29 people voiced their concern that a single member of the crew is not able to respond with the speed required to respond to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings, or assist emergency response personnel on the highway-rail level crossing. Commenters pointed out that human factors are the reason for more than half all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew would ensure the security of the train as well as its cargo.
Technology
Freight and passenger rails employ a variety of technologies to increase efficiency, increase safety, and boost security. Rail industry jargon covers a variety of specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also called drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones).
Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It empowers people to perform their jobs better and safer. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards to increase passengership and boost the efficiency of their system. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are getting closer to becoming reality.
The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve safe reliable, affordable, and cost-effective transportation in the United States is focusing on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar effort will see bridges, tunnels tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded and stations being rebuilt or replaced. The FRA's rail improvements program will be significantly increased by the recently approved bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a major piece in this initiative. fela accident attorney of the office found that it was successful in engaging, maintaining communications using inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. However, it needs to be more focused on how its research aids in the department's main objective of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods via railway.
The agency could improve its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the primary industry association for the freight rail industry, which is focused 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 will be interested in the creation of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a system of standards to clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that will be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will need to know the level of risk the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, and if the industry is considering any additional measures to mitigate that risk.
Innovation
Railroads are adopting technology to increase worker safety and make business processes more efficient and ensure that the freight they move reaches its destination safely. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies even provide a way for railroads to send emergency responders to areas of accidents so that they can quickly mitigate the damage and reduce the risk to property and lives.
Positive Train Control (PTC) is among the most important innovations in rail. It will 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 errors. The system is comprised of three components consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train; wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive; and a huge server that analyzes and collects data.
Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to increase safety and security. Amtrak is one example. It is testing the use of drones to assist train security personnel locate passengers and items in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring other ways to use drones, such as using drones to conduct inspections of bridges and other infrastructure, such as replacing the lighting on railway towers that could be dangerous for workers to climb.
Other technologies that can be utilized for passenger railroads include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and send drivers with a warning if it's unsafe to travel. These kinds of technologies can be particularly beneficial in detecting unsafe crossings and other problems during times when traffic levels are lower and there are fewer people to witness 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 through real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews better accountability and visibility and can assist them in improving efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays in the delivery of freight to customers.