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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

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

FRA field inspectors employ discretion to decide on which cases warrant the exact and time-consuming civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

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

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to safeguard the health of employees as well as the public. It formulates and enforces rail safety regulations and oversees the funding for rail. It also researches strategies for improving rail and new technologies. It also creates, implements and maintains a plan for maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services. It also develops and improves the national rail network. The department expects all rail employers to adhere to the strictest rules and regulations, and empower their employees and provide them with the tools to succeed and stay secure. This includes participating in a confidential close-call reporting system, www.accidentinjurylawyers.Claims creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full-union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the needed personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations into complaints of non-compliance. Those who violate rail safety laws may be subject to civil penalties. Safety inspectors at the agency have a wide decision-making power to determine if an act is within the statutory definition of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also examines the reports submitted by regional offices to ensure that they are legal before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the lengthy, time-consuming civil penalty process is utilized only in cases that truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine.

A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions, and not knowingly violate those guidelines to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. However, the agency does not take any person who follows a directive from a supervisor to have committed an intentional violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the whole network over which goods and passengers travel within metropolitan and city areas and between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within a steelmill is not considered to be part of the overall rail transportation system, even though it's physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains, such as those relating to safety and the transportation of hazardous substances. The agency also oversees rail financing which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency works with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies to improve the country'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 national and regional systems planning and development.

The agency is responsible for freight transportation, but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency is trying to connect people to the destinations they desire and offer more alternatives for travel. The agency is focused primarily on enhancing the experience for passengers and enhancing the safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the rail network continues operating efficiently.

Railroads are required to comply with a variety of federal regulations, which include the ones pertaining to the size and composition of the train crews. In recent years, this issue has become controversial. Some states have passed legislation that requires two-person teams on trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum crew size requirements, making sure that all railroads follow the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad that operates a one-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to identify the specific parameters of each operation and compare them to those of a typical two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the review standard of an application for special approval to determine if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety to determining if the operation is as safe or safer than two-person crew operations.

During the public comment period on this rule, many people expressed support for a two-person crew requirement. In a letter to the editor 29 people expressed their concern that a single member of the crew is not able to respond as quickly to train accidents or malfunctions 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 of 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 use various technologies to improve efficiency, improve security, and increase safety. Rail industry jargon includes a variety of distinct terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also known as drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems, driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones).

Technology isn't just replacing certain jobs -- it's empowering people to do their job more effectively and safely. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards in order to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote safe affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in America is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion-dollar project that will see bridges and tunnels rebuilt, tracks and power systems upgraded and stations rebuilt or upgraded. FRA's recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically grow the agency's rail improvement programs.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a crucial element in this initiative. Recent National Academies review of the office found it excelled at engaging, maintaining communication and using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. But it still needs to concentrate on how its research aids in the department's main strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of goods and people via railway.

The agency could improve its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads, the freight rail industry's primary industry organization that focuses on research, policy, and standard setting the Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help in developing industry standards for the implementation of the technology.

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

Innovation

Rail companies are embracing technology to improve worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes and ensure that the cargo they transport is delivered in good condition. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Certain of these technologies offer railroads the ability to send emergency responders to locations of accidents so they can quickly mitigate the damage and minimize risk to property and people.

One of the most renowned innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC), which will inhibit collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be and other accidents that result from human errors. This system is made up of three components of onboard locomotive systems that track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive; and a massive server that gathers and analyzes data.

Railroads that transport passengers are also embracing technology to enhance security and safety. Amtrak is one example. It is testing the use of drones in order to help train security personnel locate passengers and items in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring ways to make use of drones. They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructures or to replace the lighting on railway towers, which are dangerous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that can be used for railways for passengers include smart track technology, outsideholdem.com which can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send out drivers with a warning if it's unsafe to travel. These technologies are especially effective in detecting unsafe crossings or other issues during the evenings, when traffic is low and there are less witnesses to an accident.

Another important technological breakthrough in the rail industry is telematics which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to monitor the condition and status of a traincar by real-time tracking. Traincar crews and operators can benefit from increased accountability and transparency which can help them increase efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays when delivering freight.