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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

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

FRA inspectors on the ground employ discretion to determine which cases merit the time-consuming and precise civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

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 is not over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a variety of safety measures in place to safeguard the health and welfare of employees and the public. It formulates and enforces regulations for rail safety and oversees the funding for rail. It also researches strategies for improving rail and technology. It also develops, implements and maintains a plan for maintaining current rail services and infrastructure. It also develops and improves the national rail network. The department demands that all rail companies adhere to strict regulations that empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be secure and productive. This includes taking part in the confidential close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees with full union participation, as well as anti-retaliation protections and providing employees with personal safety 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. Anyone who is in violation of the safety rules for rail can be subject to civil penalties. The agency's safety inspectors have broad discretion over whether an incident falls within the statutory definition of a civil penalty-worthy act. 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 the regional and field levels ensures that the lengthy, time-consuming civil penalty process is utilized only in situations that truly warrant the deterrent impact of a civil penalty.

Rail employees must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and be aware of the standards to commit a criminal offense that is punishable by a civil penalty. The agency does not consider that a person who acts upon a directive from a supervisor has committed a willful offence. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system over which goods and passengers travel within cities and metropolitan areas, or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in a steelmill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, despite the fact that it is physically connected.

Regulation

The federal employers liability act Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing train regulations that pertain to safety and the movement of dangerous substances. The agency oversees rail finance, which includes loans and grants for service and infrastructure improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies as well as industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's rail infrastructure. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, responding to the demands for new capacity, expanding the network strategically, and coordinating the regional and national system's development and planning.

The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation, but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency is working to offer more options for passenger travel and connect passengers with the places they'd like to travel to. The agency is focused on improving the passenger experience and improving the safety of the existing fleet, and making sure that the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads must comply with a number of federal regulations, including those that deal with the size and composition of crews on trains. In recent years this issue has become controversial. Certain states have passed legislation that requires two-person crews in trains. This final rule establishes federally the minimum crew size requirements, making sure that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.

This also requires every railroad that operates a one-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to identify the specific parameters of each operation and compare them with the standard two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule will change the review standard for an approval petition that is based on determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining if approving the operation is safer or more secure than a two-crewmember operation.

During the public comment period for this rule, many people expressed support for a two-person crew requirement. A letter written by 29 people expressed their concern that a single crew member might 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 noted that human factors are the reason for more than half of all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger team could ensure the safety of the train as well as its cargo.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails employ a variety of technologies to improve efficiency, improve security, and improve safety. The language used in the rail industry includes a variety of distinct terms and acronyms but some of the more notable developments include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains rolling data centers, and drones that are not piloted (commonly called drones).

Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It helps people perform their jobs better and safer. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards to boost ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other innovations, such as autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to becoming reality.

As part of its ongoing effort to advance safe, reliable and affordable transportation for the entire 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. The FRA's rail improvement program will be significantly extended by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential component in this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office revealed that it was successful in engaging, maintaining communication using inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. But it still needs to concentrate on how its research contributes to the department's primary strategic goal of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people via rail.

One area in which the agency might be able improve its effectiveness is in identifying and supporting the advancement of automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the primary industry association for the freight rail industry, which focuses on research policy, standard-setting and policy created an Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to assist in helping establish standards for the industry.

FRA is interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy, 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 also want to know the level of safety risk that the industry sees with implementing fully automated operation and whether the industry is contemplating additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting new technologies to increase worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the freight they transport reaches its destination in good condition. Examples of this kind of technological advancement range from the use of sensors and cameras to keep track of freight, and to new railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo secure during transit. Certain of these technologies enable railroads to dispatch emergency personnel directly to accident sites to reduce the danger and minimize the damage to people and property.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most significant innovations in rail. It will prevent train-to-train accidents, situations when trains are in a position they shouldn't be, and other accidents caused by human error. This system is made up of three components: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that analyzes and collects data.

Passenger railroads also embrace technology to increase safety and security. Amtrak, for example, is experimenting with the use of drones to help security personnel on trains locate passengers and items in an emergency. The company is also looking into other ways to use drones, including deploying drones to inspect bridges as well as other infrastructure, for example, replacing the lighting on railway towers that could be dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is a different technology that can be used in passenger railroads. It is able to detect objects or people on tracks and warn motorists that it is not safe to continue. These types of technology are especially useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized as well as other issues that can arise during off-hours, when traffic levels are lower and fewer people are around to witness an accident.

Another significant technological advance in the rail industry is telematics which allows railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to monitor a traincar's status and condition through real-time tracking. Railcar operators and crews can benefit from increased accountability and transparency which will allow them increase efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays when delivering freight.