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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail, provides rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies.

FRA field inspectors employ discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the precise and lengthy civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are punished.

Members of SMART-TD and their allies made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to allow two people in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to ensure the health of employees and public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also administers rail funding, and conducts research on rail improvement strategies and technologies. It also develops and implements a strategy to ensure the current infrastructure, services, and railroad injury Fela lawyer capacity and strategically expands and improves the nation's rail network. The department demands that all rail companies adhere to strict guidelines, empower their employees and provide them with tools to be safe and successful. This includes participating in a confidential close-call reporting system, establishing labor-management occupational safety and health committees that have full-union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the required personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections on equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Anyone who violates the rail safety laws could be subject to civil penalties. Safety inspectors from the agency have a wide discretion to determine whether an act is within the definition provided by law of an act punishable with civil penalties. In addition the Office of Chief Counsel's safety department reviews all reports that are received from regional offices to determine their legality prior to assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is used only in situations that truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil penalty.

A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern their actions, and not knowingly violate those guidelines to commit a criminal offense that is punishable by a civil penalty. However the agency doesn't consider anyone who acts under a directive from a supervisor to have committed a willful violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire network over which goods and passengers travel within cities and metropolitan areas, or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in a steelmill is not considered to be part of the overall rail transportation system, despite the fact that it's physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing train regulations, such as those relating to safety and the movement of hazardous substances. The agency oversees rail finance, including loans and grants for service and infrastructure improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies to improve the rail system of the United States. This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for capacity expansion and expanding the network strategically, and coordinating the regional and national system's planning and development.

The agency is responsible for freight transportation but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency is working to provide more options for passenger travel and connect people to the places they would like to travel to. The agency's focus is on enhancing the experience for passengers as well as enhancing the safety of its existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network continues operating efficiently.

Railroads must comply with a range of federal regulations, including those relating to the size and composition of crews on trains. In recent years the issue has been a source of contention. Certain states have passed legislation mandating two-person crews in trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum size of crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads follow the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad operating a single-person train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will enable FRA to compare the parameters of each operation with those of a two-person standard crew operation. In addition, this rule changes the review standard for the special approval petition from determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining if approving the operation is safer or more secure than an operation with two crew members.

During the public comment period on this rule, many people expressed support for a two-person crew requirement. In a formal letter, 29 people expressed their concern that a single member of the crew would not be capable of responding as quickly to train accidents or malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel at the highway-rail level crossing. Commenters emphasized that human factors are responsible for more than half all railroad accidents. They believe that a bigger crew could ensure the security of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails use different technologies to improve efficiency, enhance safety, and boost security. Rail industry jargon comprises many unique terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also known as drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented, driverless train, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also called drones).

Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It empowers people to do their jobs better and safer. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other innovations, such as autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to reality.

As part of its ongoing efforts to improve safe, reliable and affordable transportation for the entire nation In its ongoing effort to ensure safe, reliable and affordable transportation for the nation, the federal Employers’ Liability Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar effort that will see tunnels and bridges restored as well as tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations reconstructed or upgraded. The FRA's rail improvement program will be significantly increased by the recently approved bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a crucial part of this effort. Recent National Academies review of the office found it excelled at engaging with, maintaining communication and utilizing inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. It is still required to focus on how its research contributes towards the department's primary objective of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods by railways.

One area where the agency may be able improve its effectiveness is by identifying and assisting the development of automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads, the main freight rail industry association that focuses on research, policy and standard-setting, has established a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help in developing industry standards to implement the technology.

The FRA is interested in the group's development of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This could be applicable to both rail transit and on-road vehicles. The agency will want to know the amount of risk that the industry sees in fully automated operation, and if the industry is contemplating any additional measures to mitigate that risk.

Innovation

Railroads are adopting technology to boost worker safety and improve business processes. efficient and ensure that the cargo that they transport arrives at its destination in good condition. Examples of such innovation range from the use of sensors and cameras to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency personnel directly to the scene of an accident to minimize danger and minimize the damage to people and property.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most significant developments in rail. It can keep train-to-train accidents out of the way, as well as situations where trains are on track they shouldn't be, and other accidents caused by human error. This system is a three-part process consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that connect with the locomotive and a massive backend server that gathers and analyzes data.

Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to enhance security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist passenger security staff in locating passengers and other items aboard trains in case in an emergency. Amtrak is also looking into ways to use drones. They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructures or to replace the lights on railway towers, which are dangerous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that can be used for passenger railroads include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and issue drivers with a warning if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These types of technology are especially valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other problems during off-hours, when traffic is at its lowest and fewer people are around to witness an accident.

Another significant technological advance in the rail industry is telematics which enables railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to view the condition and status of a traincar by real-time tracking. Railcar operators and crews can benefit from increased accountability and visibility which will allow them to increase efficiency and avoid unnecessary maintenance. It will also help delay in the delivery of freight.