The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology
The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations It also provides rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies.
FRA field inspectors employ discretion to decide on which cases warrant the exact and time consuming civil penalty process. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are punished.
Allies and members of SMART-TD have made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to ensure that two people are in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight continues.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to protect the health of employees as well as the public. It formulates and enforces rail safety regulations as well as manages funding for rail and researches strategies for improving rail and technologies. It also formulates plans, implements and maintains a plan for maintaining current rail services and infrastructure. It also works to expand and improve the national rail network. The department requires all railroad 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 an anonymous close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full-union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the needed personal protective gear.
FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of railway safety regulations and laws. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations into complaints of noncompliance. Civil penalties can be applied to those who break railroad safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have a broad discretion on whether an incident falls within the statutory definition of a criminal penalty-worthy act. Additionally, 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 regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied when they are necessary.
Rail employees must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his actions and knowingly disregard those guidelines to commit a criminal offense that is punishable by a civil penalty. However the agency does not consider any individual who is acting under a direction from a supervisor to have committed a willful violation. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the entire system that transports passengers and goods between cities and metropolitan areas. fela lawyers of a plant railroad in the steel mill isn't considered to be part of the overall transportation system that trains, even though it is physically connected to it.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those related to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency also manages financing for rail, including grants and loans for improvements to infrastructure and service. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's rail system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for additional capacity, expanding the network strategically, and coordinating regional and national system development and planning.
The agency is primarily responsible for freight transport, but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is working to provide more options for passengers and connect passengers with the places they'd 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 the rail network is operating efficiently.
Railroads must comply with many federal regulations, including those related to the size of crews on trains. This issue has become controversial in recent years, with a few states passing legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum crew size requirements, making sure that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.
This also requires every railroad that has one-person train crews to notify FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation to those of a two-person standard crew operation. This rule also changes the standard for reviewing an application for special approval from determining if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety, to determining if the operation is as secure or more secure than a two-person crew operations.
During the public comment period for this rule, many people supported the requirement for a two-person crew. A form letter sent by 29 individuals emphasized their concerns that a single crew member would not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or crossing incidents or assist emergency response personnel at a highway-rail grade crossing. Commenters emphasized that human factor are responsible for more than half all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew will ensure the safety of the train as well as its cargo.
Technology
Freight and passenger rails use various technologies to increase efficiency, enhance security, and improve safety. Rail industry jargon comprises a variety of distinct terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also called drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicle (also known as drones).
Technology isn't just replacing certain jobs, it's also empowering individuals to perform their work better and safer. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphone apps and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other innovations, like autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to reality.
As part of its ongoing effort to advance safe, reliable and affordable transportation for the entire 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 repaired tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded, and stations rebuilt or replaced. The FRA's rail improvement program will be greatly expanded by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a major piece in this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it excelled at 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 railway.
The agency could improve its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry, which focuses on research policy, standard-setting and policy, established the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help establish standards for the industry.
FRA is interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a system of standards to clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that will be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency would like to know the level of risk that the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, and if the industry is considering any additional measures to mitigate that risk.
Innovation
Railroads are adopting technology to increase worker safety, make business processes more efficient and ensure that the cargo they move reaches its destination intact. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight, to new railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transportation. Certain of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency personnel to locations of accidents so they can swiftly reduce damage and minimize risk to property and lives.
One of the most prominent 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 are caused by human error. It is a three-part system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that connect with the locomotive and an enormous backend server that gathers and analyzes data.
Passenger railroads also embrace technology to improve safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist security personnel in finding passengers and other items aboard trains in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring ways to use drones. They could be used to examine bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lights on railway towers, which are dangerous for workers to climb.
Smart track technology is another technology that is used in railways that transport passengers. It is able to detect people or objects on tracks and warn drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These technologies are particularly effective in detecting unsafe crossings or other issues in the evenings, when traffic is low and there are less witnesses to an accident.
Another significant technological advance in the rail industry is telematics which allows railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to monitor a traincar's status and condition through real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews better accountability and visibility and can aid in improving efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in delivering freight to customers.