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The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 departments concerned with intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and reliable transportation of goods and people.

FRA field inspectors examine the railroad track as well as train control and signal systems, as well as operating practices. They also investigate complaints.

Definition

Federal railroads are the rail carriers in the United States controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for the creation and enforcement of railway safety regulations, administers railroad funding, and researches ways to improve rail transportation systems. The FRA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's intermodal transportation division, and its chief executives are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that utilizes the rail network of the United States. The agency also consolidates government funding for rail transportation and supports the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor passenger service. Additionally, the agency oversees the management and ownership of all intermodal infrastructures such as tracks, right-of-way equipment, real property and rolling stock, and provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.

The FRA's responsibilities are to establish through regulation, following an notification and comment the procedure by anyone can report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security problems or inconsistencies. Additionally, the FRA sets up policies and conducts inspections to determine the compliance with its rail safety laws in six technical disciplines: track signal and train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency is responsible of ensuring that the railroad transportation system operates in a safe, economic and sustainable manner. As a result, the agency requires railroads to provide the safety of their workers and provide the appropriate training to their employees. The agency also sets and enforces railroad prices to ensure that the public is charged fair prices for transportation services.

In addition the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination against railroad workers, as well as protects whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad companies. The agency also has a procedure by which railroad employees can file complaints regarding the company's actions.

The primary goal of the FRA is to enable the safe reliable and efficient transportation of goods and people to ensure a secure America both now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this through regulating railroad safety, managing programs for assistance to railroads and conducting research that supports the improvement of safety for railroads and national rail transportation policy and coordination, as well as supporting the development of rail networks, and helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were essentially monopolies that had no competition. The railroad industry abused its dominant position in the market as a result. This is why Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to prevent the abuses committed by railroad monopolies.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a government agency that establishes regulations, manages rail funds and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It supervises freight and passenger railroads and operates the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding current rail systems, as well as ensuring the ability of the rail industry to meet increasing demand for freight and travel, as well as providing leadership in national and regional system planning.

Safety is the government's main responsibility in rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for this, and has several divisions that oversee the country's freight and passenger rail operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of these with approximately 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, including track, signal, and train control, motive and equipment operating procedures, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crosses.

FRA has additional departments which include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department is responsible for programs aimed at enhancing passenger and freight railway transport, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for grants given to railways, and collaborates with other agencies in order to determine the nation's rail requirements.

Another essential duty of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws that pertain to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against workers and making sure that injured railway employees are taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. It also prohibits railroads from refusing or delaying medical treatment for injured railway employees.

The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger railway industries, but there are other agencies which manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for setting rates and managing economics in the industry. It has regulatory authority over railroad mergers lines sales, construction and abandonment. After an open consultation period, the agency is also responsible for establishing rules that permit anyone to report any alleged rail safety violations.

Functions

Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in developed countries as well as villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing factories, and then the final products from these factories to warehouses and stores. Rail is an essential mode of transportation for a variety of essential commodities including grains, oil and coal. In 2020, freight rail carried over a quarter of the country's total freight volume [PDF].

The federal fela railroad settlements is run just like other businesses. It has departments for marketing and operations, sale, and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales works with potential and current customers to determine what kind of rail services they need and the amount they should cost. The operations department then develops rail services that meet these needs at the lowest cost possible to generate revenue for railroads. The executive department oversees the entire operation and makes sure that each department is operating efficiently.

The government supports the railways through a variety of methods, including grants and subsidized rates on government traffic. Congress also provides money to support and build new stations and tracks. These subsidy funds are often added to the revenues that railroads receive through tickets and freight contracts.

In the United States, the government owns the railway for passengers, Amtrak. It is a quasi-public for-profit corporation, which has the United States Government as a major stockholder.

The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) main task is to formulate and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical properties of trains and the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also analyzes and collects data on rail safety in order to identify trends and areas that may require improvement or more regulatory attention.

FRA also participates in other projects to improve the economy and safety of railway transportation in the United States. For instance, the agency seeks to lower the obstacles that can hinder railroads in adopting positive train control (PTC). PTC is a safety system that makes use of sensors and on-board computers to stop the train when it is too close to a vehicle or other object.

History

The first railroads in the United States were constructed in the 1820s and 1830s, largely in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The railroads increased industrialization and brought more food products to market in these areas. This allowed the country become more independent and less dependent on imports.

In the 19th century's final years, the railroad industry enjoyed the benefits of a "Golden Age" during which new, more efficient raillines were constructed and passenger travel became popular. This was in large part because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For instance, the government granted homesteaders land grants to encourage them to settle the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also worked together to build the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.

In the first half century, however, the demand for passenger rail services decreased, and other modes of transportation like planes and automobiles increased in popularity. In the meantime, the stifling of regulation stifled railroads' economic ability to compete. The industry was plagued by a series of bankruptcy service cuts, bankruptcy, and deferred maintenance. In addition, a misguided federal railway regulation caused the decline of the railroad industry.

Around 1970, federal authorities began to ease the regulations governing railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee the economic aspects of the industry such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration, which supervises freight and passenger transportation and sets safety standards for rail, was also created.

Since then, the railroad infrastructure of the United States has seen a lot of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt, for instance, to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There have also been efforts to develop more efficient freight rail systems. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its relationship with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe railroads. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transportation system is running as efficiently as is possible.