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 which cases warrant the exact and lengthy civil penalty process. This helps ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.
Allies and members of SMART-TD made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to allow two people in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight isn't over.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to ensure the health of employees and public. It formulates 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 plans, implements and maintains a plan for maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services. It also expands and improves strategically the national rail network. The department expects all rail companies to adhere to strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with the tools to succeed and stay secure. This includes the confidential close-call reporting system, creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full-union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the required personal protective gear.
FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of railway safety regulations and laws. They perform routine inspections on equipment and investigate hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties may be imposed on those who violate rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have a wide discretion to determine if an act is within the statutory definition of an act that is punishable by civil penalties. Additionally the Office of Chief Counsel's security division reviews all reports that are received from regional offices to determine their legal sufficiency before assessing penalties. This discretion is exercised at the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in cases that warrant their use.
A rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern their actions and knowingly disregard those guidelines to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. The agency does not 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 metropolitan and city areas, or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steel mill is not considered to be part of the overall rail transportation system, even though it's physically connected.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing train regulations including those related to safety and the movement of dangerous substances. The agency oversees rail finance, which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and with industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's railroad system. This includes maintaining current 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 transport, but also manages 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's focus is on improving the experience of passengers, enhancing safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail system continues to operate efficiently.
Railroads must comply with a variety of federal regulations, which include the ones pertaining to the size and composition of the train crews. This issue has become a controversial one in recent years, with some states passing legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum size of crew requirements, making sure that all railroads follow the same safety standards.
This rule also requires that each railroad operating a one-person crew notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will allow FRA to assess the requirements 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 whether an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety, to determining if the operation is as safe or safer than two-person crew operations.
During the period of public comment for this rule, a number of people expressed their support for a requirement for two persons on the crew. A letter written by 29 individuals emphasized 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 account for more than half railroad accidents and they believe that a larger crew would help ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports.
Technology
Freight and passenger rails use different technologies to increase efficiency, improve safety, and boost security. Rail industry jargon comprises a variety of unique terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also known as drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicle (also called drones).
Technology isn't just replacing some jobs, it's also empowering people to do their job more effectively and safely. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards to boost ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other developments like autonomous rail cars are getting closer to reality.
The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure safe affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in the United States is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars effort that will see tunnels and bridges repaired as well as tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations rebuilt or upgraded. railroad injury fela lawyer 's recently enacted 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 element in this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it was successful in engaging, maintaining communications with and using inputs from a wide range of stakeholders. But it must focus more on how its research aids in the department's main objective of ensuring the safe transportation of goods and people by rail.
One area where the agency might be able to increase its effectiveness is in identifying and assisting the advancement of automated train technology and systems. 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 created a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help create standards within the industry.
The FRA is interested in the group's development of a taxonomy to describe automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This could apply to both rail transit and on-road vehicles. The agency would like to know the amount of risk that the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, and whether the industry is contemplating any additional safeguards to reduce the risk.
Innovation
Railroads are adopting technology to increase worker safety, make business processes more efficient, and ensure that the cargo that they transport arrives at its destination in good condition. Examples of such innovations vary from the use cameras and sensors to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo secure during transit. Some of these technologies even provide a way for railroads to send emergency response personnel to locations of accidents so they can quickly mitigate the damage and minimize risk to people and property.
Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most significant developments in rail. It is designed to keep train-to-train accidents out of the way, as well as situations when trains are in a position they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human errors. It is a three-part system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train, wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and a huge backend server that collects and analyzes data.
Trains for passengers also adopt technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist passenger security personnel in locating passengers and other items aboard trains in case of an emergency. The company is also exploring ways to make use of drones. They could be used to check 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 can be used in railways that transport passengers. It is able to detect objects or people on tracks and warn motorists that it is not safe to continue. These kinds of technologies can be particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings as well as other issues that can arise during off-hours, when traffic levels are lower and fewer people are around to witness an accident.
Telematics is a significant technological advance in the rail industry. It allows railways, shippers and other stakeholders to track a traincar in real-time. Traincar crews and operators can benefit from greater accountability and transparency which will allow them to increase efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays when delivering freight.