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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail The Federal Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and researches rail improvement strategies.

FRA field inspectors use discretion to decide on which cases merit the precise and time-consuming civil penalty process. This ensures that the most serious violations of punishment are punished.

SMART-TD members and allies 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 variety of safety measures in place to safeguard the safety and health of employees and the public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also oversees rail funding and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technologies. It also creates plans, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain current rail services and infrastructure. It also expands and improves strategically the national rail network. The department demands that all rail operators adhere to strict regulations that empower their employees and provide them with tools to be secure and productive. This includes participation in the secure close call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees with full participation from unions and anti-retaliation protections and providing employees with personal protection equipment.

FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of the rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations into complaints of non-compliance. Civil penalties can be applied to those who break railroad safety laws. The agency's safety inspectors have broad discretion over whether a particular violation meets the statutory definition of a criminal penalty-worthy act. In addition, the Office of Chief Counsel's security division reviews all reports that are received from regional offices to determine their legality prior to assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the field and regional levels ensures that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is applied only in situations that are truly deserving of the effect of a civil penalty.

To be guilty of a civil violation an employee of a railroad must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern the conduct of his or her employees. They must also be aware of and disregard these standards. The agency does not believe an individual who acted upon a directive from a supervisor has committed a willful offence. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the whole network over which goods and passengers travel within metropolitan areas, or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad at a steel mill is not considered to be part of the general transportation system that trains, 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 is responsible for managing rail finance, which includes grants and loan to improve service and infrastructure. The agency works 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, responding to the demands for capacity expansion, expanding the network strategically, as well as coordinating the regional and national system's planning and development.

Although the majority of the agency's activities are focused on freight transportation, it also manages passenger transportation. The agency is working to offer more options for passengers and connect people to the places they'd like to go. The agency's primary focus is on enhancing the experience for passengers and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet and ensuring the rail network continues operating efficiently.

Railroads are required to abide with a number of federal regulations, which include those that deal with the size and composition of the train crews. This is an issue of contention in recent years, with a few states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies the minimum size of crew requirements at an international level, and ensures that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards.

This also requires every railroad that has a single-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to better identify the specific parameters of each operation and compare them with the normal two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the review standard of an application for special approval to determine if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety to determining if the operation is safer or more secure than a two-person crew operations.

During the public comment period for this rule, a large number of people expressed support for a two-person crew requirement. A form letter sent 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. Commenters emphasized that human factors are the reason for more than half of all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew could ensure the security of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Railroads that transport passengers and freight employ numerous technologies to improve efficiency, improve safety, boost security and much more. Rail industry jargon includes a variety of distinct terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also called drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems, driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicle (also known as drones).

Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It allows people to do their jobs better and more safely. Passenger railroads use smartphones apps and contactless fare cards in order to increase ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other developments like autonomous rail cars are moving closer to becoming reality.

As part of its ongoing effort 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 multi-billion-dollar effort will see tunnels, bridges tracks, power systems and tracks updated, and stations renovated or replaced. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will substantially grow the agency's rail improvement programs.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential part of this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office concluded that it excelled at engaging, maintaining communications with and using inputs from 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 the safe transportation of goods and people via railway.

One area where the agency might be able to increase its effectiveness is in identifying and supporting the advancement of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail association that focuses on research, policy and standardization and has created a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to assist in the development of industry standards for the implementation of the technology.

The FRA is interested in the group's creation of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation. This would apply to both rail transit and vehicles on the road. The agency will need to know the amount of risk the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, and whether the industry is considering any additional safeguards to reduce that risk.

Innovation

Railroads are embracing technology to improve worker safety and improve business processes. efficient, and ensure that the cargo that they transport arrives at its destination intact. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transportation. Some of these technologies provide a way for railroads to send emergency responders to locations of accidents so they can swiftly mitigate damage and minimize risk to people and property.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is among the most significant innovations in rail. It will stop train-to-train accidents, instances when trains are in a position they shouldn't be, and other accidents caused by human errors. This system is a three-part process consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train, wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and a massive backend server that analyzes and collects data.

Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to bolster safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist security personnel in locating passengers and items on board trains in fela case settlements in an emergency. The company is also exploring other ways to use drones, for instance, using drones to inspect bridges as well as other infrastructure, such as replacing the lighting on railway towers, which can be dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is another technology that can be utilized in passenger railroads. It is able to detect objects or people on tracks and warn drivers if it is unsafe to continue. These technologies are especially useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues in the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are fewer witnesses to an accident.

Telematics is a significant technological advance in the rail industry. It allows railways, shippers and other parties to track a traincar in real-time. Crews and railcar operators can benefit from increased accountability and transparency, which will help them to increase efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays when delivering freight.