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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail, provides rail funding and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.

FRA field inspectors employ discretion to decide which cases merit the precise and time-consuming civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the violations most deserving of punishment are punished.

SMART-TD and its allies created history by 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be in the locomotive cabs of freight trains. The fight is not over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to ensure the health and welfare of its employees and the general public. It creates and enforces safety regulations for rail and oversees the funding for rail. It also studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technologies. It also formulates plans, implements and maintains a plan for maintaining current rail services and infrastructure. It also develops and improves the rail network across the nation. The department demands that all rail operators adhere to strict guidelines, empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be secure and productive. This includes an anonymous close-call reporting system, creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full participation from unions and anti-retaliation clauses and providing employees with the required personal protective gear.

FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations of complaints of noncompliance. Civil penalties may be imposed on those who violate the rail safety laws. Safety inspectors at the agency have a broad discretion to determine whether an act is within the legal definition of an act that is punishable with civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also reviews all reports that regional offices submit to ensure they are legal prior to imposing penalties. This discretion is exercised at the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in situations that warrant them.

To be considered guilty of a civil infringement, a rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions. They must also be aware of and ignore these rules. However the agency doesn't take any person who is acting under a direction from a supervisor to have committed a willful violation. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the entire system that transports passengers and goods within and between cities and metropolitan areas. 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 employers liability act Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency also manages financing for rail, including grants and loans for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's railroad system. This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for new capacity and expanding the network strategically, as well as coordinating the regional and national system's planning and development.

The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is trying to connect people to destinations they desire and offer more options for travel. The agency is focused on improving the passenger experience, enhancing the safety of the current fleet, and ensuring that the railway system continues to function efficiently.

Railroads are required to comply with a range of federal employers’ regulations, which include those that deal with the size and composition of crews on trains. In recent times, this issue has been a source of contention. Some states have passed legislation requiring two-person teams on trains. The final rule codifies the minimum size of crew requirements at the federal level, making sure that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards.

This rule also requires that each railroad operating a one-person crew notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will allow FRA to assess the requirements of each operation to those of a two-person standard crew operation. This rule also alters the standard for reviewing an application for special approval to determine if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety, to determining if the operation is as safe or less risky than a two-person crew operations.

During the period of public comments for this rule, a number of people expressed their support for a requirement for a two person crew. In a form letter 29 people expressed their concern that a single crew member would not be able to respond with the speed required to respond to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel at an elevated highway crossing. The commenters noted that human factors account for more than half all railroad accidents and believe that a larger crew will ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports.

Technology

Railroads that transport passengers and freight employ numerous technologies to increase efficiency, add security, improve safety and more. Rail industry jargon comprises a variety of specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also known as drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones).

Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It empowers people to do their jobs better and with greater security. Passenger railroads use smartphones apps and contactless fare cards to increase ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are moving closer to becoming reality.

As part of its ongoing efforts to advance safe, reliable, and affordable transportation options for the country, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This multi-billion dollar project will see tunnels, bridges tracks, power systems and tracks updated and stations being rebuilt 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 a key part of this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office revealed that it excelled in keeping in touch with inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. It still needs to consider how its research contributes towards the department's main goal of ensuring the safety of goods and people by rail.

The agency could enhance its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry that focuses on research and policy, as well as standard setting and has established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help develop standards within the industry.

FRA is likely to be interested in the group's development of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a standardization system that can clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that would be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency would like to know the degree of risk the industry perceives with fully automated operation, and whether the industry is considering any additional safeguards to minimize that risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting technology to improve worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the freight they transport arrives at its destination intact. Examples of this kind of innovations range from the use of cameras and sensors to keep track of freight, and to new railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo safe during transport. Certain of these technologies enable railroads to dispatch emergency responders directly to sites of accidents to minimize risk and minimize damages to property and individuals.

One of the most renowned innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC), which will inhibit collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks that shouldn't be and other accidents that are caused by human errors. This system is made up of three components consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train; wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that gathers and analyzes data.

Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to enhance security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist passenger security staff in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in case of an emergency. The company is also exploring different ways to use drones, such as using them to perform inspections of bridges and other infrastructure like replacing the lighting on railway towers, which 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 issue drivers with a warning if it's unsafe to travel. These kinds of technology are especially useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized as well as other issues that can arise in the off-hours, when traffic levels are lower and fewer people are around to witness an accident.

Another important technological breakthrough in the railway industry is telematics which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to view the condition and status of a traincar via real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and their crews more accountability and transparency and assist them in improving efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in the delivery of freight to customers.