The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology
The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail It also provides rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies.
FRA field inspectors make use of discretion to decide on which cases merit the precise and time-consuming civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations of punishment are punished.
SMART-TD members and allies made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to keep two people 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 health and safety of its employees and the general public. It is responsible for creating and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also manages rail funding and studies rail improvement strategies and technologies. It also creates and implements a strategy to ensure that current infrastructure, services, and capacity and strategically expands and improves the nation's rail network. The department expects all rail companies to adhere to strict rules and regulations, and empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be successful and secure. This includes taking part in an anonymous close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational safety and health committees that have full participation from unions and anti-retaliation clauses and giving employees the necessary personal protective equipment.
Inspectors of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations of complaints of noncompliance. Civil penalties may be handed out to those who violate rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have a wide discretion to determine if an act is within the legal definition of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties. In addition the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division examines all reports submitted from regional offices to determine their legality prior to assessing penalties. This discretion is exercised at both the regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in situations that warrant them.
Rail employees must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his actions and be aware of the standards to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. However, the agency does not consider anyone who acts under a directive from a supervisor to have committed an intentional violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the whole network that passengers and goods travel within metropolitan areas or between them. A plant railroad's trackage 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 for establishing regulations for trains, such as those relating to safety and the transportation of dangerous substances. The agency also oversees rail financing which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvements. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies for improving the rail system of the United States. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, responding to the demands for additional capacity, expanding the network strategically, and coordinating the regional and national system's planning and development.
Although the majority of the agency's work is focused on freight transportation, it also oversees passenger transportation. The agency is working to provide more options for passenger travel and connect people with the places they want to travel to. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience, improving the safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the rail network is operating efficiently.
Railroads must comply with a number of federal regulations, which include the ones pertaining to the size and composition of the train crews. In recent times, this issue has been a source of contention. Some states have passed legislation requiring two-person crews on trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum crew size requirements, making sure that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.
This also requires every railroad operating a one-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to compare the parameters of each operation to the standard 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 standards to determining whether the operation is as safe or more secure than a two-person crew operation.
During the public comment period for this rule, a large number of people supported the requirement of a two-person crew. A form letter sent by 29 people outlined their concerns that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to issues with trains or grade crossing incidents or assist emergency responders at a highway-rail grade crossing. Commenters pointed out that human factor are responsible for more than half of all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew could ensure the security of the train as well as its cargo.
Technology
Freight and passenger railroads employ numerous technologies to enhance efficiency, add safety, boost security and much more. The rail industry lingo contains a myriad of specific terms and acronyms, however, some of the most notable innovations include machine vision systems, instrumentsed rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers, and drones that are not piloted (commonly called drones).
Technology isn't merely replacing jobs -- it's empowering people to do their job better and safer. Passenger railroads use smartphones apps and contactless fare cards to increase ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to reality.
As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure 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 project will see tunnels, bridges, tracks and power systems updated and stations rebuilt or replace. The FRA's rail improvement program will be significantly expanded by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential element 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 must concentrate on how its research contributes to the department's primary strategic goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods via rail.
The agency could increase its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads, the freight rail industry's primary business organization that is focused on research, policy and standardization and has created a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards for implementing the technology.
FRA is likely to be interested in the group's development of an automated rail taxonomy. It is a standardization system that can clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that could be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will want to know the degree of risk that the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, and whether the industry is considering any additional safeguards to minimize that risk.
Innovation
Rail companies are adopting technology to increase worker safety, increase efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the cargo they transport is delivered in good condition. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight to new railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transportation. Some of these technologies provide a way for railroads to send emergency response personnel to locations of accidents so they can swiftly reduce damage and reduce the 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 where trains are on track they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human errors. This system consists of three components consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive; and a huge server that gathers and analyzes data.
Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to bolster security and safety. For fela lawyer , Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist security personnel in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in the event in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring ways to utilize drones. They could be used to examine bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are dangerous for workers to climb.
Other technologies that can be utilized for railways for passengers include smart track technology that can detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and issue an alert to drivers when it's unsafe to proceed. These technologies are particularly effective in detecting unsafe crossings or other problems in the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are fewer witnesses to an accident.
Telematics is yet another significant technological advance in the railway industry. It allows shippers, railways and other stakeholders, to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. Such capabilities give railcar operators and crews better accountability and visibility and can aid in improving efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in the delivery of freight to customers.