The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for the safety of rail, regulations and enforcement, rail funding and research on improving rail strategies.

FRA field inspectors employ discretion to determine which cases are worthy of the precise and time-consuming civil penalty process. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

SMART-TD, along with its allies, made history by 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be in the locomotive cabs of freight trains. The fight is not over.

Safety

The Federal fela claims railroad employees Administration implements a variety of safety measures to ensure the health of employees as well as the public. It creates and enforces safety regulations for rail as well as manages funding for rail and researches rail improvement strategies and new technologies. It also formulates, implements and maintains plans for the maintenance of the current rail infrastructure and services. It also develops and improves the rail network across the nation. The department requires that all rail operators adhere to strict regulations, empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be secure and productive. This includes taking part in the secure close call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees that have full participation from unions and anti-retaliation safeguards, and providing employees with needed personal safety equipment.

FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations of complaints of non-compliance. Anyone who is in violation of the safety rules for rail can be punished with civil penalties. Safety inspectors from the agency have wide discretion to determine if violations fall within the legal definition of an act punishable by civil penalties. In addition the Office of Chief Counsel's safety department examines all reports submitted by regional offices to determine legality prior to assessing penalties. This discretion is exercised at the regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in situations that warrant them.

A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and knowingly disregard those guidelines to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. However the agency does not consider anyone who acts under a directive by a supervisor as having committed a willful violation. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the whole network that carries goods and passengers within and between cities and metropolitan areas. The trackage of a plant railroad within a steelmill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, even though it is physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, ranging from those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency oversees rail finance, including loans and grants to improve service and infrastructure. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's rail infrastructure. This includes maintaining existing rail infrastructure and services and in addition to addressing the need for additional capacity, strategically expanding the network, and coordinating national and regional systems planning and development.

The agency is mostly responsible for freight transportation, but also manages passenger transportation. The agency aims to connect people with the places they'd like to visit and offer more options for travel. The agency is focused primarily on enhancing the experience for passengers and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet and ensuring the rail network continues operating efficiently.

Railroads must comply with many federal regulations, including those related to the size of crews on trains. This issue has become a controversial one in recent years, with several states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies the minimum crew size requirements at the federal level, making sure 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 assess the requirements of each operation with those of a two-person standard crew operation. This rule also alters the review standard of an approval request that is a special case from determining if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety to determining if the operation is safer or safer than two-person crew operations.

During the public comment period on this rule, a large number of people backed the requirement of a two-person crew. A letter written by 29 people expressed their concern that a single crew member would not be as quick to respond to train malfunctions or grade crossing incidents, or assist emergency response personnel at a highway-rail grade crossing. The commenters noted that human factors account for more than half all railroad accidents, and they think that a bigger crew could help ensure the safety of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Railroads that transport passengers and freight employ various technologies to increase efficiency, add security, improve safety and much more. The rail industry vernacular includes many 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 drones that are not piloted (commonly known as drones).

Technology isn't merely replacing jobs -- it's empowering individuals to perform their work more efficiently and with greater security. Passenger railroads are using smartphone apps and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other developments like autonomous rail cars are coming closer to becoming reality.

As part of its ongoing effort to ensure safe, reliable and affordable transportation options for the country The Federal Employers’ Liability Act Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar effort will see tunnels, bridges, tracks and power systems updated, and stations renovated or replaced. The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly increase the agency's rail improvement programs.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a key element in this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office revealed that it excelled at engaging, maintaining communication using inputs from a wide range of stakeholders. However, it needs to be more focused on how its research contributes to the department's primary strategic goal of ensuring safe transportation of goods and people via rail.

One area where the agency might 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 industry organization that focuses on research, policy, and standard setting, has established a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards for implementing the technology.

The FRA is interested in the group’s creation of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This could be applicable to both rail transit and on-road vehicles. The agency will want to know the level of risk the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, and if the industry is considering additional safeguards to reduce the risk.

Innovation

Railroads are embracing technology to boost worker safety and make business processes more efficient and ensure that the cargo that they transport arrives at its destination intact. These innovations include cameras and sensors that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transportation. Certain of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency response personnel to the scene of an accident so they can swiftly reduce risks to property and people.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of 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 consists of three components: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive; and a massive server that collects and analyses data.

Passenger railroads also embrace technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to aid security staff in locating passengers and items on board trains in case in the event of an emergency. Amtrak is also investigating different ways to use drones, for instance, using them to perform inspections of bridges as well as other infrastructure, such as replacing the lights on railway towers that could be dangerous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that can be used for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send an alert to drivers when it's unsafe for them to proceed. These types of technology are especially useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized and other problems during off-hours, when traffic volumes are lowest and there are fewer people around to witness an accident.

Telematics is yet another significant technological breakthrough in the railway industry. It allows railways, shippers and other parties to monitor a traincar in real-time. These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews greater accountability and visibility and can help them improve efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in delivering freight to customers.

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