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 inspectors on the ground make use of discretion to decide which cases merit the time-consuming and precise civil penalty process. This ensures that those violations most deserving of punishment are punished.
Allies and members of SMART-TD made history in 2024 when they began 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 has a range of safety measures in place to protect the health and safety of employees as well as the general public. It formulates and enforces regulations for rail safety and oversees the funding for rail. It also researches strategies for improving rail and new technologies. It also develops and implements a strategy to ensure that current rail services, infrastructure and capacity and strategically expands and improves the national rail network. The department demands that all rail operators adhere to strict regulations and empower their employees, and provide them with tools to be safe and successful. This includes participating in the confidential close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees, with full union participation and protection against retaliation and providing employees with the necessary personal safety equipment.
fela lawyers of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations into complaints of noncompliance. Civil penalties are applied to those who break rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency are able to decide on the extent to which an incident falls within the statutory description of a crime that is punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also reviews the reports that regional offices submit 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 used in situations that warrant them.
To be guilty of a civil offense the employee of a rail company must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern their actions. They also must be aware that they not adhere to these rules. The agency does not believe an individual who acted on a supervisor's directive has committed a willful offence. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system that allows passengers and goods to travel within metropolitan areas or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steel mill isn't considered to be part of the overall transportation system by rail even though it is physically connected to it.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible to establish regulations for train operations, such as those relating to safety and the movement of hazardous substances. The agency also oversees rail financing, including grants and loans for improvements to infrastructure and service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's rail system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services as well as in addition to addressing the need for additional capacity strategically expanding the network and coordinating national and regional systems planning and development.
The agency is mostly responsible for freight transportation but also oversees passenger transport. The agency aims to connect people to places they'd like to visit and offer more choices for travel. The agency's primary focus is on enhancing the experience for passengers, enhancing safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network continues operating efficiently.
Railroads must comply with many federal regulations, including those related to the size of crews on trains. In recent years, this issue has been a source of contention. Some states have passed legislation that requires two-person crews in trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum size of crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads follow the same safety standards.
This rule also requires that every railroad that has a one-person crew notify FRA and submit an analysis of risk. This will allow FRA to better understand the specific parameters of each operation and compare them to the standard two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the review standard of an application for special approval from determining whether an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is as secure or safer than two-person crew operation.
During the time of public comments for this rule, a number of people voted for a requirement of two people on the crew. A letter from 29 people expressed their concern that a single crew member would not be as quick to respond to issues with trains or grade crossing incidents or assist emergency response personnel at a highway rail grade crossing. Commenters emphasized that human factor are responsible for a majority of railroad accidents. They believe that a bigger crew will ensure the safety of the train and its cargo.
Technology
Freight and passenger railroads employ a wide array of technologies to increase efficiency, increase safety, boost security and much more. Rail industry jargon covers various specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also called drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones).
Technology isn't just replacing some jobs -- it's empowering people to perform their jobs better and safer. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are moving closer to becoming reality.
As part of its ongoing efforts to advance safe, reliable, and affordable transportation for the entire nation 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 is a multi-billion dollars project that will see tunnels and bridges rebuilt tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded, and stations reconstructed or upgraded. The FRA's rail improvements program will be greatly expanded by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central component of this initiative. Recent National Academies review of the office revealed that it was successful in engaging with, maintaining communication and utilizing inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. It must continue to be aware of how its research contributes to the department's primary goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods via rail.
The agency could enhance 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 is focused on research and policy, as well as standard setting, established the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to assist in helping create standards within the industry.
The FRA is interested in the development of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This could apply to rail transit as well as on-road vehicles. The agency will also need to know the degree of safety risk that the industry perceives associated with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering additional security measures to reduce the risk.
Innovation
Railroads are embracing technology to increase worker safety and improve business processes. efficient and help ensure that the cargo it transports arrives at its destination intact. Examples of this innovation range from the use of sensors and cameras to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo secure during transit. Some of these technologies allow railroads dispatch emergency responders directly to sites of accidents to minimize risk and minimize damages to property and individuals.
Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most important innovations in rail. It will prevent train-to-train accidents, situations where trains are on track they shouldn't be, and other accidents caused by human errors. The system is a three-part process consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge backend server that collects and analyzes data.
Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to improve safety and security. Amtrak for instance, is experimenting with drones in order to help train security staff find passengers and other items in an emergency. The company is also exploring different ways to use drones, for instance, using them to perform inspections of bridges and other infrastructure like replacing the lighting on railway towers that could be dangerous for workers to climb.
Smart track technology is a different technology that is used in passenger railroads. It can detect objects or people on tracks and notify drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These kinds of technology are especially valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other problems during off-hours, when traffic levels are lower and there are fewer people to witness an accident.
Another important technological advancement in the rail industry is telematics, which allows railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to view the condition and status of a traincar via real-time tracking. Traincar crews and operators can benefit from greater accountability and visibility which will allow them to improve efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and delay in the delivery of freight.