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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

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

FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to determine which cases merit the lengthy and precise civil penalty procedure. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

Members of SMART-TD and their allies 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 has a variety of safety measures in place to safeguard the safety and health of its employees and the general public. It develops and enforces rail safety regulations, administers rail funding and researches strategies for improving rail and new technologies. It also creates and implements a plan to maintain current infrastructure, services, and capacity, and strategically develops and improves the nation's rail network. The department expects all rail employers to abide by strict rules and regulations, and empower their employees and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and safe. This includes participation in the secure close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees with full union participation and anti-retaliation protections and providing employees with personal protection equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections on equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Anyone who is in violation of the safety rules for rail can be subject to civil penalties. Safety inspectors from the agency have a broad decision-making power to determine if an act is within the statutory definition of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties. In addition the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division reviews all reports that are received by regional offices to determine legality prior to assessing penalties. This discretion is exercised at both the regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only used when they are necessary.

Rail employees must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and knowingly disregard those rules to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. However, the agency does not consider anyone who acts under a directive by a supervisor as having committed a willful violation. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the entire network that carries goods and passengers within and between metropolitan areas and cities. The trackage of a plant railroad within a steelmill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, even though it is physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency also manages financing for rail which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvements. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and the industry to devise strategies to improve the nation's railroad system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for new capacity and expanding the network strategically and coordinating the regional and national system development and planning.

The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation, but also oversees passenger transport. The agency is working to provide more options for passenger travel and connect passengers with the places they want to travel to. The agency's primary focus is on enhancing the experience for passengers as well as enhancing the safety of its existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads are required to comply with a variety of federal regulations, which include those relating to the size and composition of train crews. This issue has become controversial in recent years, with a few states passing legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule outlines the minimum size of crew requirements at the federal level, making sure that all railroads are held to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires that every railroad operating a one-person crew notify FRA and submit an analysis of risk. This will enable FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation with those of a two-person standard crew operation. Additionally, this rule changes the review standard for a special approval petition from determining whether the operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether approving the operation would be as secure or as safe as a two-crewmember operation.

During the period of public comment on this rule, a lot of people voiced their support for a requirement of a two person crew. A letter written by 29 people expressed their concern that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to train malfunctions or grade crossing incidents or assist emergency response personnel at a highway-rail grade crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors are responsible for more than half of railroad accidents, and they believe that a larger crew would help ensure the safety of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails employ various technologies to improve efficiency, enhance safety, and boost security. Rail industry jargon includes many distinct terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also known as drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems, driverless train, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones).

Technology isn't just replacing some jobs, it's also empowering people to do their job better and safer. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards in order to increase ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to becoming reality.

As part of its ongoing effort to ensure secure, reliable and affordable transportation options for the country In its ongoing effort to ensure safe, reliable and affordable transportation for the nation, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar project will see bridges, tunnels tracks, federal Employers’ liability Act power systems and tracks updated and stations renovated or replaced. FRA's recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically increase the agency's rail improvement programs.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a major element in this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office concluded that it excelled in keeping in touch using inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. But it still needs to concentrate on how its research aids in the department's main strategic goal of ensuring the safe transportation of goods and people via railway.

The agency could increase its effectiveness by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the primary industry association for the freight rail industry that focuses on research and policy, as well as standard setting created a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help establish standards for the industry.

FRA is interested in the development of an automated rail taxonomy. It is a standard that will clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that could be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will also be looking to understand the level of safety risk that the industry perceives associated when implementing a fully automated system and whether the industry is contemplating additional security measures to reduce the risk.

Innovation

Railroads are adopting technology to boost worker safety and improve business processes. efficient, and ensure that the freight it transports arrives at its destination intact. These innovations include cameras and sensors that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies allow railroads dispatch emergency personnel directly to the scene of an accident to minimize the risk and damages to property and individuals.

One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop train-to-train collisions, situations where trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be and other accidents that result from human errors. The system is a three-part process consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a massive backend server that analyzes and collects data.

Passenger railroads also embrace technology to increase safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist security personnel in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in the event in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring other possibilities to utilize drones, such as using drones to inspect bridges as well as other infrastructure, like replacing the lights on railway towers that could be dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is a different technology that can be used in passenger railroads. It can detect objects or people on tracks and warn drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These technologies are especially useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues in the evenings, when traffic is low and there are less witnesses to an accident.

Telematics is yet another significant technological advance in the rail industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other parties to track a traincar in real-time. Railcar operators and crews can benefit from increased accountability and transparency, which will help them improve efficiency and avoid unnecessary maintenance. It will also help delay in the delivery of freight.