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The Federal Railroad Administration

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

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

Definition

Federal railroads are rail carriers in the United States controlled by the federal government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, formulates and enforces railway regulations as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve railway transportation. The FRA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's intermodal transportation division and its chief officers are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that utilizes the railway system of the United States. In addition, the agency also supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates support from the federal government for rail transportation activities. Additionally, the agency oversees the management 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.

FRA's responsibilities also include establishing through regulation and following an opportunity for comments an procedure that anyone can notify the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or issues. The agency also formulates policies, conducts inspections, and reviews the compliance of its railroad laws in six technical disciplines, including track signals, track and train control; motive power and equipment; operating practices as well as hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections.

The agency is in charge of ensuring that the railway transportation system is operated in a safe, economical, and environmentally friendly manner. The agency also demands that railroads to maintain a safe workplace and provide adequate training for their employees. The agency also sets and enforces railroad prices to ensure that the public is charged fair prices for transportation services.

The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination towards railroad employees. It also protects whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad carriers. The agency also establishes an procedure through which railroad employees can file complaints regarding the company's actions.

The primary goal of the FRA is to enable the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods for a strong America both now and in the future. The FRA achieves this by overseeing the regulation of rail safety, managing railroad assistance programmes and conducting research to support better safety of railroads and national transportation policy and coordinating the development of rail networks and helping the private industry manage railroads. In the past, railroads dominated the market, with very little competition. This meant that railroads often misused their position in the marketplace. Hence, Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to curb the abuses committed by railroad monopolies.

Purpose

Federal railroads are government-owned institutions that make regulations, manage rail funds and conduct research to improve the rail system in the United America. It oversees both freight and passenger railroads and also manages the nation's railway infrastructure. It is one of the 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the current railroad systems.

Safety is the main responsibility when it comes to rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for this, and it has several divisions that manage the country's freight and passenger rail operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of them with approximately 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, which include track, signalling, and train control, motive and equipment, operating procedures, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.

FRA has additional departments that include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department is responsible for programs aimed to improve passenger and freight railway transport, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for the grants given to railways, and collaborates with other agencies to determine the nation's rail requirements.

Another important function of the FRA is the enforcement of federal laws that pertain to railroads and their employees. This includes stopping railroads from discriminating against workers, and making sure that injured railway workers are provided with transportation to the nearest hospital for federal employers’ Liability first aid treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from delay or deny medical treatment for injured railway workers.

The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger rail industries, but there are other organizations that manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for example is responsible for setting rates and governing the economics of the industry. It also has the authority to regulate railroad mergers, line sales, construction and abandonment. After an open consultation period, the agency is also responsible for establishing rules that will allow anyone to report any alleged rail safety violations.

Functions

Railroads transport goods and people between cities in developed nations, as and remote villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing plants, and finished products from these factories to warehouses and Federal employers stores. Rail is a crucial mode of transportation for a number of essential commodities including grains, oil and coal. In 2020, freight rail carried over a quarter of the nation's total freight volume [PDF(PDF).

The federal railroad is run as a business. It has departments for marketing, operations, sale, and an executive department. The department for marketing and sales collaborates with potential and current customers to determine the kind of rail services they need and how much they will cost. The operations department then develops the rail services that meet those requirements at the lowest possible cost to earn money for the railroad. The executive department is responsible for the entire operation, making sure 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 provides funds to help build and maintain new stations and tracks. These subsidy funds are often added to the revenue that railroads receive through tickets and freight contracts.

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

The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) principal purpose is to create and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical state of trains and the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also gathers and analyzes data on rail safety in order to identify patterns and areas that might require more or better regulation.

In addition to these core tasks, FRA works on various other projects aimed at improving the economy and security of rail transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA, aims to reduce the obstacles that hinder railroads in implementing positive train control (PTC). PTC is a security technology that utilizes sensors and computers on board to stop a train automatically when it is too close to another vehicle or object.

History

The nation's first railroads were built in the 1820s and 1830s largely in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The railroads significantly accelerated the industrialization process in these areas, and also brought more food items to the market. This allowed the country become more independent and less dependent on imports.

In the late nineteenth century the railroad industry went through a "Golden Age," during which many new, more efficient rail lines were constructed and passenger travel on train became increasingly popular. This was largely because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For instance, the government granted land grants to homesteaders to encourage them to move to the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to construct the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco in just six days.

In the first half century however the demand for passenger rail services dwindled, while other modes of transport like planes and automobiles became more popular. However, stifling regulations hindered railroads' ability to compete. A series of bankruptcies and service cuts and deferred maintenance followed. In addition, a misguided federal railway regulations caused the decline of the industry.

Around 1970, the federal government began to loosen the regulatory burdens on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic issues such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also created, which sets standards for rail safety and is one of the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation which oversees passenger and freight transportation.

Since then, the railway infrastructure of the United States has seen a significant amount of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt, for instance, to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There have also been efforts to create more efficient freight rail systems. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its relationship with all transportation agencies in order to ensure safe and reliable railroads. FRA's mission is to ensure that the nation's transportation system is running as efficiently as possible.