The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology
The
Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations, provides rail funding and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.
FRA inspectors on the ground employ discretion to determine which cases are worthy of the lengthy and precise civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.
Members of SMART-TD and their allies made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to allow two people in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight continues.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to protect the health and safety of its employees and the general public. It is responsible for developing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also oversees rail funding and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technological developments. It also formulates the implementation and maintenance of plans for the maintenance of current rail services and infrastructure. It also expands and improves strategically the rail network across the nation. The department expects all rail employers to adhere to strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with the tools to be successful and secure. This includes participating in the confidential close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees that have full union participation, as well as protection against retaliation and providing employees with the necessary personal protective equipment.
Inspectors of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a myriad of investigations of complaints of noncompliance. Anyone who is in violation of the safety rules for rail can be penalized civilly. Safety inspectors from the agency have wide discretion 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 examines all reports submitted by regional offices to ensure they are legal before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at both the field and regional levels ensures that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is utilized only in cases which truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine.
A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions, and not knowingly violate those guidelines to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. The agency does not believe that an individual who acts on a supervisor's directive has committed a willful offense. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the whole network that allows passengers and goods to travel within metropolitan areas or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within the steelmill isn't considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, despite the fact that it is physically connected.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing train regulations including those related to safety and the transportation of dangerous substances. The agency also manages rail financing which includes loans and grants for improvements to infrastructure and service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's railway system. This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for capacity expansion, expanding the network strategically, and coordinating regional and national system development and planning.
The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation, but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passengers and connect people with the places they would like to travel to. The agency's primary focus is on improving the experience of passengers and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network is operating efficiently.
Railroads are required to abide with a number of
federal employers’ liability act regulations, including those relating to the size and composition of crews on trains. In recent times this issue has been a source of contention. Some states have passed legislation mandating two-person crews in trains. This final rule outlines the minimum size of crew requirements at an international level, and ensures that all railroads are held to the same safety standards.
This rule also requires each railroad that has one-person train crews to notify 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 those of a normal two-person crew operation. In addition this rule will change the standard of review for a special approval petition from determining whether the operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether the operation would be as safe or safer than an operation with two crew members.
During the time of public comment on this rule, a large number of people voted for a requirement of two persons on the crew. A letter from 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. Commenters pointed out that human factors are responsible for more than half all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew could ensure the security of the train and its cargo.
Technology
Freight and passenger rails employ various technologies to improve efficiency, enhance security, and improve safety. Rail industry jargon covers many specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also called drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicle (also called drones).
Technology isn't just replacing some jobs -- it's empowering individuals to perform their work better and safer. Passenger railroads use smartphones apps and contactless fare cards to increase passengership and boost the efficiency of their system. Other innovations, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to reality.
As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure secure, reliable and affordable transportation options for the country, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar project that will see tunnels and bridges restored as well as tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations rebuilt or replaced. FRA's recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly grow the agency's rail improvement programs.
The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a key element in this initiative. The most recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging with, maintaining communication and utilizing inputs from a range of stakeholders. It must continue to be aware of how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods via rail.
One area where the agency could be able to improve its effectiveness is in identifying and supporting the development of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail business organization that is focused on research, policy, and standard setting and has created a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help in developing industry standards for the implementation of the technology.
FRA is interested in the development of an automated rail taxonomy.