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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

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

FRA field inspectors make use of discretion to decide which cases warrant the exact and time-consuming civil penalty process. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

SMART-TD and its allies made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be allowed to sit in the locomotive cabs of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to safeguard the health of employees and public. It develops and enforces safety regulations for rail and oversees the funding for rail. It also studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technology. It also formulates and implements a plan to maintain current infrastructure, rail services and capacity and strategically expands and improves the nation's rail network. The department requires that all rail employers adhere to strict regulations and empower their employees, and provide them with the tools to ensure their safety and Fela law firm success. This includes a confidential close-call reporting system, creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees that have full-union participation and antiretaliation provisions and giving employees the necessary personal protective equipment.

FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of the rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations of complaints of non-compliance. Anyone who is in violation of rail safety laws may be penalized civilly. Safety inspectors from the agency have wide discretion to determine if a violation falls under the legal definition of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties. Additionally, the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division reviews all reports received from regional offices to determine their legality prior to assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the regional and field levels ensures that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is used only in situations that are truly deserving of the effect of a civil fine.

A rail worker must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and be aware of the guidelines to commit a criminal offense that is punishable by a civil penalty. However the agency doesn't take any person who is acting under a direction by a supervisor as having committed an intentional violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire network that passengers and goods 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, despite the fact that it's physically connected.

Regulation

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

Although the majority of the agency's work is focused on freight transportation, it also manages passenger transportation. The agency is working to offer more options for passenger travel and connect people with the places they'd like to go. The agency's focus is on enhancing the experience for passengers, enhancing safety of the existing fleet and ensuring the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations, relating to the size of crews on trains. In recent years this issue has become a source of controversy. Some states have passed legislation mandating two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies 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 with a crew of one notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will allow FRA to assess the requirements of each operation to the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the review standard of an approval request that is a special case from determining if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is as secure or safer than two-person crew operations.

During the time of public comment on this rule, a lot of people voiced their support for a requirement of a two person crew. In a formal letter 29 people voiced their concerns that a single crew member will not be able to respond with the speed required to respond to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings or assist emergency personnel on a highway-rail level crossing. The commenters noted that human factors are responsible for more than half railroad accidents and believe that a larger team would help ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails use a variety of technologies to increase efficiency, improve safety, and boost security. Rail industry jargon covers a variety of specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also known as drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones).

Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It allows people to perform their jobs better and more safely. Passenger railroads are using smartphone apps and contactless fare payment cards to improve ridership and make the system more efficient. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to reality.

As part of 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 is a multi-billion-dollar initiative that will see bridges and tunnels restored as well as tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations rebuilt or replaced. The FRA's rail improvement program will be significantly extended by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a key component of this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office concluded that it excelled in engaging, maintaining communications with inputs from a variety of stakeholders. However, it needs to be more focused on how its research helps the department achieve its primary strategic goal of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people via railway.

One area in which the agency might be able improve its effectiveness is in identifying and supporting the advancement of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail association that focuses on policy, research and standardization and has created a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to assist in the development of industry standards to implement the technology.

The FRA is interested in the development of a taxonomy to describe automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This could be applicable to rail transit as well as 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 safeguards to reduce that risk.

Innovation

Railroads are using technology to improve worker safety and improve business processes. efficient, and ensure that the cargo they move reaches its destination safely. These innovations include cameras and sensors that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs that help keep dangerous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies even provide a way for railroads to send emergency response personnel to locations of accidents so they can swiftly mitigate risks to property and lives.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most significant innovations in rail. It can stop train-to-train accidents, instances where trains are on track they shouldn't and other accidents caused by human error. The system is comprised of three parts: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that analyzes and collects 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 security staff in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in case of an emergency. The company is also looking into other ways to use drones, for instance, using drones to inspect bridges and other infrastructure such as replacing the lights on railway towers, which could be dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is a different technology that can be used in railways for passengers. It can detect objects or people on tracks and notify motorists that it is not safe to continue. These types of technologies are particularly beneficial in detecting unsafe crossings and other problems in the off-hours, when traffic is at its lowest and there are fewer people to witness an accident.

Telematics is yet another significant technological breakthrough in the rail industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other parties to monitor a traincar in real-time. Crews and railcar operators will benefit from increased accountability and visibility which will allow them improve efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays when delivering freight.