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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations The federal employers’ liability Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and researches rail improvement strategies.

FRA inspectors on the ground make use of discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the lengthy and precise civil penalty process. This helps ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

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

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to protect the health of employees and public. It formulates and enforces safety regulations for rail as well as manages funding for rail and researches rail improvement strategies and new technologies. It also develops the implementation and maintenance of an action plan to maintain the current infrastructure and services for rail. It also works to expand and improve the rail network across the nation. The department requires that all rail operators adhere to strict guidelines and empower their employees, and provide them with tools to ensure their safety and success. This includes taking part in the confidential close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full participation from unions and anti-retaliation clauses and providing employees with the needed personal protective gear.

FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections on equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Those who violate the safety rules for rail can be subject to civil penalties. Safety inspectors at the agency have a broad discretion to determine whether an act is within the statutory definition of an act punishable by civil penalties. In addition, the Office of Chief Counsel's safety department examines all reports submitted from regional offices to determine their legal sufficiency before assessing penalties. This discretion is exercised at the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied when they are necessary.

To be convicted of a civil offense the employee of a rail company must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern their actions. They must also be aware of and ignore these rules. The agency does not consider an individual who acted in response to a supervisor's direction is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system that passengers and goods travel within cities and metropolitan areas or between them. A plant railroad's trackage in the steel mill isn't considered to be 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 the movement of hazardous materials. The agency also oversees rail financing including loans and grants for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies for improving the rail system of the United States. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for additional capacity and expanding the network strategically and coordinating the regional and national system planning and development.

While the majority of the agency's activities are focused on freight transportation, it also manages passenger transportation. The agency is working to connect people with the places they'd like to visit and offer more options for travel. The agency is focused primarily on improving the passenger's experience, enhancing safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network continues operating efficiently.

Railroads must comply with a number of federal regulations, including those relating to the size and composition of the train crews. This is an issue of contention in recent years, with several states enacting legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum size of crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads follow the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad that operates one-person train crews to notify FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will enable FRA to compare the parameters of each operation with the standard two-person crew operation. In addition, this rule changes the criteria for reviewing an approval petition that is based on to determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining if approving the operation is secure or as safe as a two-crewmember operation.

During the period of public comment for this rule, a lot of people voted for a requirement of two people on the crew. In a form letter 29 people expressed their concern that a single crewmember will not be capable of responding with the speed required to respond to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel at the highway-rail level crossing. The commenters noted that human factors are responsible for more than half of railroad accidents, and they think that a bigger crew could help ensure the safety of both the train and its cargo.

Technology

Freight and passenger railroads employ numerous technologies to enhance efficiency, employers’ liability act Fela improve security, improve safety and much more. The rail industry vernacular contains a myriad of distinct 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 called drones).

Technology isn't only able to replace certain jobs. It helps people perform their jobs more effectively and with greater security. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards in order to increase ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are coming closer to reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure secure, reliable, and affordable transportation in America is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar project will see bridges, tunnels tracks, power systems, and tracks updated, and stations renovated or replaced. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly grow the agency's rail improvement programs.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central component of this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office concluded that it was successful in keeping in touch with inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. However, it needs to be more focused on how its research contributes to the department's primary strategic goal of ensuring safe transportation of goods and people by rail.

The agency could enhance its efficiency by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads, the main freight rail industry industry organization that focuses on research, policy and standard-setting the Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards for implementing the technology.

FRA will be interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy. It is a standard that will clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that will be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will also need to know the degree of safety risk that the industry perceives associated when implementing a fully automated system and whether or not the industry is considering adding additional security measures to reduce the risk.

Innovation

Railroads are adopting technology to improve worker safety, make business processes more efficient and ensure that the cargo that they transport arrives at its destination intact. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight, to new railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies allow railroads send emergency responders directly to sites of accidents to reduce the danger and minimize the damages to property and individuals.

One of the most prominent innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC), which will inhibit train-to-train collisions, situations where trains are on tracks that shouldn't be and other accidents that are caused by human errors. This system consists of three components of onboard locomotive systems that track the train; wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that gathers and analyzes data.

Trains for passengers also adopt technology to increase safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist security personnel in finding passengers and other items aboard trains in case in the event of an emergency. The company is also looking into other ways to use drones, including deploying drones to inspect bridges and other infrastructure, for example, replacing the lights on railway towers, which can be hazardous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that can be used for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which is able to detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and send out a warning to drivers if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These technologies are particularly useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized or other issues in the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are fewer witnesses to an fela accident attorney.

Another important technological advancement in the rail industry is telematics which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to see the status and condition of a traincar by real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and their crews more control and visibility. They can also help them improve efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in the delivery of freight to customers.