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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for the safety of rail, regulations and enforcement, rail funding and research on improving rail strategies.

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

Members of SMART-TD and their allies have made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to keep two people in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight is not over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a variety of safety measures in place to protect the health and welfare of its employees and the general public. It develops and enforces regulations for rail safety as well as manages funding for rail and studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technologies. It also develops and implements a strategy to maintain current infrastructure, services, and capacity, and strategically expands and improves the national rail network. The department requires all rail employers to abide by strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and safe. This includes taking part in the confidential close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees, with full union participation, as well as protection against retaliation and providing employees with the necessary personal safety equipment.

FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Anyone who is in violation of rail safety laws may be punished with civil penalties. Safety inspectors from the agency have a wide decision-making power to determine if violations fall within the legal definition of an act punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also reviews all reports that regional offices submit to determine if they are legal before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the field and regional levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is applied only in those situations which truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil penalty.

Rail employees must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and be aware of the standards to commit a criminal offense that is punishable by a civil penalty. The agency doesn't consider an individual who acted in response to a supervisor's direction has committed a willful offence. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the whole network that carries goods and passengers within and between metropolitan areas and cities. A plant railroad's trackage in the steel mill isn't considered part of the general transportation system by rail even although 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 service improvements. The agency works with other DOT agencies and with industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's railway system. This includes maintaining current rail services and infrastructure as well as addressing the need for new capacity, strategically expanding the network as well as coordinating regional and national systems planning and development.

While the majority of the agency's work is focused on freight transportation, it also oversees the transportation of passengers. The agency is working to provide more options for passenger travel and connect people to the places they want to travel to. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience as well as increasing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads are required to comply with a variety of federal regulations, which include the ones pertaining to the size and composition of the train crews. This is controversial in recent years, with several states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum size crew 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 better understand the specific parameters of each operation and compare them with those of a normal two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the criteria for reviewing a special approval request from determining if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety, to determining if the operation is safer or more secure than a two-person crew operation.





During the period of public comment for this rule, a number of people voiced their support for a requirement of two persons on the crew. A letter written by 29 people outlined their concerns that a single crew member might 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. The commenters noted that human factors are responsible for more than half railroad accidents and believe that a larger crew will ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports.

Technology

Railroads that transport passengers and freight employ a wide array of technologies to enhance efficiency, add safety, boost security and much more. The rail industry lingo contains a myriad of distinct terms and acronyms however, some of the most notable innovations include machine vision systems, instrumentsed rail inspection systems, driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones).

Technology isn't only able to replace certain jobs. It empowers people to do their jobs better and with greater security. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards in order to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are getting closer to reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure secure reliable, affordable, and cost-effective transportation in America, is focused on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This multi-billion dollar project will see bridges, tunnels tracks, power systems and tracks updated and stations renovated or replaced. fela claims railroad employees passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically grow the agency's rail improvement programs.

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

The agency could increase its efficiency by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry, which is focused on research policy, standard-setting and policy and has established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help develop standards within the industry.

FRA is interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy, a standardization system that can clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that will be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will also be looking to know the degree of risk to safety that the industry sees with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering additional safeguards to mitigate that risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting technology to increase worker safety, boost efficiency in business processes and ensure that the cargo they transport arrives at its destination intact. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight, to new railcar designs that help keep dangerous cargo safe during transport. Certain of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency personnel directly to sites of accidents to minimize the danger and minimize the damages to property and individuals.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is among the most significant innovations in rail. It will prevent train-to-train accidents, situations when trains are in a position they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human error. This system consists of three components: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a massive server that analyzes and collects data.

Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist passenger security personnel in finding passengers and other items onboard trains in case in an emergency. Amtrak is also investigating different ways to use drones, including deploying them to perform inspections of bridges as well as other infrastructure, like replacing the lighting on railway towers, which could be hazardous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that can be utilized for passenger railroads include smart track technology that can detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and send drivers with a warning if it's unsafe to proceed. These types of technology are especially useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized 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 status and condition of a traincar by real-time tracking. These capabilities give railcar owners and their crews more accountability and visibility and can aid in improving efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in delivering freight to customers.