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 conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.
FRA inspectors on the ground employ discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the lengthy and precise civil penalty procedure. This discretion helps ensure that those violations most deserving of punishment are penalized.
Members of SMART-TD and their 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 is not over.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to ensure the health of employees as well as the public. It creates and enforces rail safety regulations as well as manages funding for rail and studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technologies. It also formulates the implementation and maintenance of plans for the maintenance of the current rail infrastructure and services. It also develops and improves the rail network across the nation. The department expects that all rail operators adhere to strict rules, empower their employees and provide them with the tools to ensure their safety and
fela Lawsuit settlements success. This includes participating in the confidential close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational safety and health committees, with full union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the needed personal protective gear.
FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections on equipment and investigate hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties are handed out to those who violate railroad safety laws. The safety inspectors of the agency have broad discretion over whether a particular violation meets the statutory definition of a civil penalty-worthy act. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also examines all reports that regional offices submit to ensure they are legal before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the regional and field levels ensures that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is applied only in situations that are truly deserving of the effect of a civil penalty.
To be considered guilty of a civil violation, a rail employee must know the rules and regulations that govern their actions. They must also be aware of and not adhere to these rules. However the agency doesn't 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 entire system over which goods and passengers travel within cities and metropolitan areas and between them. A plant railroad's trackage in the steel mill isn't considered to be part of the general rail system of transportation even being physically connected to it.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains including those related to safety and the movement of hazardous substances. The agency oversees railway finance, including grants and loan for infrastructure and service improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies as well as industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's rail system. This includes maintaining current rail services and infrastructure, in addition to addressing the need for additional capacity and strategically expanding the network and coordinating regional and national systems planning and development.
Although the majority of the agency's work focuses on freight transportation, it also oversees passenger transportation. The agency is working to provide more options for passenger travel and connect passengers with the places they would like to travel to. The agency's primary focus is on improving the passenger's experience, enhancing safety of the existing fleet and ensuring the rail system continues to operate efficiently.
Railroads must comply with a range of federal regulations, including those that deal with the size and composition of the train crews. 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 codifies federally the minimum size crew requirements, making sure that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.
This also requires every railroad that has one-person train crews to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will enable FRA to assess the requirements of each operation to the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. In addition this rule will change the criteria for reviewing a special approval petition from determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether approving the operation would be as safe or safer than an operation with two crew members.
During the time of public comments for this rule, a lot of people voiced their support for a requirement of a two person crew. A letter written by 29 people expressed their concern that a single crew member might not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or crossing incidents, or assist emergency response personnel at a highway-rail grade crossing. Commenters noted that human factors are responsible for a majority of railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew could ensure the security of the train and its cargo.
Technology
Trains for passenger and freight use various technologies to improve efficiency, improve safety, and boost security. The rail industry vernacular includes many distinct terms and acronyms but some of the more notable developments include machines-vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly called drones).
Technology isn't just replacing certain jobs; it's helping people to perform their jobs more efficiently and with greater security. Passenger railroads are using smartphone apps and contactless fare payment cards to improve ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other innovations, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to reality.
As part of its ongoing efforts to advance secure, reliable and affordable transportation for the 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 bridges, tunnels tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded and stations renovated or replaced. The FRA's rail improvement program will be greatly increased by the recently approved bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a key element in this initiative. Recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging, maintaining communication and using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It still needs to consider how its research contributes towards the department's primary objective of ensuring the safety of goods and people by railways.
The agency could improve its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the principal industry association for the freight rail industry, which focuses on research and policy, as well as standard setting and has established an Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help create standards within the industry.