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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

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

FRA field inspectors employ discretion to decide which cases warrant the exact and lengthy civil penalty process. This discretion helps ensure that those violations most deserving of punishment are penalized.

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

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to ensure the health and safety of its employees and the general public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing regulations for rail safety. It also oversees rail funding and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technologies. It also develops, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain the current rail infrastructure and services. It also develops and improves the rail network across the nation. The department requires all rail employers to adhere to strict rules and regulations, and empower their employees and provide them with tools to be successful and secure. This includes a confidential close-call reporting system, establishing labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full union participation and antiretaliation provisions and giving employees the necessary personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail regulations and laws. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations of complaints of non-compliance. Anyone who violates rail safety laws may be punished with civil penalties. Safety inspectors from the agency have a wide decision-making power to determine if a violation falls under the statutory definition of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also reviews the reports submitted by regional offices to ensure they are legal prior to imposing penalties. This discretion is exercised both at the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in cases that warrant their use.

A rail worker must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and be aware of the rules to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. The agency doesn't consider that an individual who acts on a supervisor's directive is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the whole network that passengers and goods travel within cities and metropolitan areas and between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in a steel mill is not considered to be part of the general transportation system by rail, Fela accident attorney even though it is physically connected to it.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, ranging from those related to safety and the 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 develop strategies for improving the nation's railroad system. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for new capacity, expanding the network strategically and coordinating regional and national system's planning and development.

While the majority of the agency's work is focused on freight transportation, it also oversees passenger transportation. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passenger travel and connect people to the places they want to travel to. The agency is focused on improving the experience for passengers as well as improving the safety of the current fleet, and ensuring that the rail network continues to operate efficiently.

Railroads must adhere to a number of federal regulations, relating to the size of crews on trains. This issue has become an issue of contention in recent years, with several states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. This final rule outlines the minimum requirements for crew size at a federal level, ensuring that all railroads are held to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad operating a single-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to assess the requirements of each operation with 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 whether 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, a large number of people supported the requirement for a two-person crew. In a formal letter 29 people voiced their concerns that a single member of the crew will not be able to respond with the speed required to respond to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel on an elevated highway crossing. The commenters pointed out that human factors account for more than half of all railroad accidents, and they think that a bigger crew could help ensure the safety of both the train and the cargo it transports.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails employ different technologies to increase efficiency, increase security, and improve safety. Rail industry jargon comprises various unique terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also known as drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems, driverless train, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also called drones).

Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It helps people perform their jobs better and with greater security. Passenger railroads are using smartphone apps and contactless fare payment cards to increase ridership and make the system more efficient. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are getting closer to reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure secure 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 as well as tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations reconstructed or upgraded. The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically increase the agency's rail improvement programs.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a crucial part of this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it excelled in engaging, maintaining communication using inputs from a wide range of stakeholders. But it must be more focused on how its research aids in the department's main strategic goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods by railway.

One area in which the agency might be able to improve its effectiveness is in identifying and assisting the advancement of automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry that is focused on research policy, standard-setting and policy, established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help establish standards for the industry.

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 also need to know the degree of risk to safety that the industry perceives associated when implementing a fully automated system and whether or not the industry is considering adding additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting technology to improve worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes and ensure that the cargo they transport is delivered in good condition. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs that help keep dangerous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency response personnel to the scene of an accident so they can quickly mitigate the risks to people and property.

One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC), which will inhibit collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks they shouldn't be and other accidents resulting from human error. The system is comprised of three components consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a massive server that analyzes and collects data.

Passenger railroads also embrace technology to enhance security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist security personnel in locating passengers and other items aboard trains in the event of an emergency. The company is also examining 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.

Smart track technology is another technology that can be used in railways that transport passengers. It can detect objects or people on tracks and warn drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These technologies are particularly useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized or other issues during the evenings, when traffic is low and there are less witnesses to an accident.

Telematics is a significant technological advancement in the rail industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other stakeholders to track a traincar in real-time. Railcar operators and crews can benefit from greater accountability and transparency, which will help them to improve efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays when delivering freight.