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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations The Federal Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.

FRA inspectors on the ground employ discretion to determine which cases merit the lengthy and precise civil penalty procedure. This discretion helps ensure that the most serious violations of punishment are punished.

Members of SMART-TD and their allies made history in 2024 by 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 as well as manages funding for rail and studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technology. It also creates and implements a plan to ensure the current infrastructure, services, and capacity, and strategically develops and improves the nation's rail network. The department requires that all rail companies adhere to strict regulations, empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be secure and productive. This includes participating in the confidential close call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees, with full participation from unions and anti-retaliation safeguards, and providing employees with needed personal safety equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations of complaints of noncompliance. Civil penalties may be handed out to those who violate the rail safety laws. Safety inspectors at the agency have a wide discretion to determine if a violation falls under the legal definition of an act that is punishable with civil penalties. In addition, the Office of Chief Counsel's security division reviews all reports received from regional offices to determine their legal sufficiency before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the field and regional levels ensures that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is applied only in situations which truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine.

To be convicted of a civil infringement the employee of a rail company must know the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions. They also must be aware that they ignore these rules. The agency doesn't consider that an individual who acts on a supervisor's directive has committed a willful offense. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the whole network that transports passengers and goods between metropolitan areas and cities. The trackage of a plant railroad within a steelmill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, even though it's physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing train regulations, such as those relating to safety and the movement of hazardous substances. The agency is responsible for managing railway finance, including grants and loan to improve service and infrastructure. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's railway system. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, fela Railroad addressing the need for capacity expansion, expanding the network strategically, and coordinating the regional and national system's development and planning.

Although the majority of the agency's work focuses on freight transportation, it also oversees the transportation of passengers. The agency aims to connect people with the destinations they desire and offer more choices for travel. The agency is focused on improving the passenger experience as well as improving the safety of the current fleet, and ensuring that the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads must comply with many federal regulations, including those pertaining to the size of crews on trains. In recent times, this issue has become a source of controversy. Certain states have passed legislation mandating two-person teams on trains. This final rule establishes federally the minimum crew size requirements, making sure that all railroads follow the same safety standards.

This also requires every railroad that has a single-person train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to compare the parameters of each operation to the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the criteria for reviewing an application for special approval to determine if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is as secure or safer than two-person crew operations.

During the time of public comments for this rule, a large number of people voiced their support for a requirement for two people on the crew. In a letter to the editor, 29 people expressed their concern that a single crewmember would not be able to respond as quickly to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings, or assist emergency response personnel on the highway-rail level crossing. Commenters pointed out that human factors are the reason for a majority of railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew could ensure the security of the train as well as its cargo.

Technology

Trains for passenger and freight use various technologies to increase efficiency, improve security, and improve safety. The language used in the rail industry includes a variety of unique terms and acronyms, but some of the most notable developments include machines-vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones).

Technology isn't just replacing certain jobs, it's also empowering people to perform their jobs more efficiently and with greater security. Passenger railroads are using smartphones apps and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are getting closer to reality.

As part of its ongoing effort to ensure secure, reliable and affordable transportation options for the country, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar project will see bridges, tunnels tracks, power systems, and tracks updated, and stations renovated or replaced. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically grow the agency's rail improvement programs.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a crucial component in this effort. Recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging, maintaining communication and using inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. But it still needs to be more focused on how its research helps the department achieve its primary strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of goods and people via rail.

The agency could enhance its effectiveness by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the principal industry association for the freight rail industry that is focused on research, policy and standard setting created a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help establish standards for the industry.

FRA is interested in the creation of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a system of standards to clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that could be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will also be looking to understand the level of risk to safety that the industry believes is associated with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether or not the industry is contemplating additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are embracing technology to improve worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes and ensure that the cargo they transport reaches its destination intact. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight, to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Certain of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency personnel directly to sites of accidents to minimize risk and minimize damage to people and property.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is among the most significant innovations in rail. It can stop train-to-train accidents, instances where trains are on track they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human error. This system is made up of three components: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that collects and analyses data.

Passenger railroads also embrace technology to improve safety and security. Amtrak, for example, is experimenting with the use of drones to assist security personnel on trains locate passengers and other items in an emergency. The company is also looking into other possibilities to utilize drones, including deploying drones to conduct inspections of bridges and other infrastructure, for example, replacing the lighting on railway towers, which could be dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is another technology that is used in railways that transport passengers. It can detect objects or people on tracks and alert drivers if 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 fewer witnesses to an accident.

Another significant technological advance in the rail industry is telematics which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to monitor the status and condition of a traincar by real-time tracking. Such capabilities give railcar operators and crews greater accountability and transparency and help them improve efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in delivering freight to customers.