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 studies strategies for improving rail safety.
FRA inspectors on the ground make use of discretion to decide which cases merit the time-consuming and precise civil penalty procedure. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.
Members of SMART-TD and their allies made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to allow two people in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight continues.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration has a variety of safety measures in place to protect the safety and health of employees and the public. It is responsible for developing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also administers rail funding, and conducts research on rail improvement strategies and technology. It also develops plans, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain the current rail infrastructure and services. It also expands and improves strategically the rail network across the nation. The department requires that all rail employers adhere to strict regulations, empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be safe and successful. This includes participating in an anonymous close-call reporting system, creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees that have full-union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the required personal protective gear.
Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections on equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Anyone who violates the rail safety laws could be penalized civilly. The agency's safety inspectors have a broad discretion on whether an incident falls within the statutory definition of a civil penalty-worthy act. In addition the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division reviews all reports received from regional offices to determine their legality prior to assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at both the field and regional levels helps ensure that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is used only in those situations which truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine.
Rail employees must be aware of rules and regulations that govern their actions, and not knowingly violate those standards to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. The agency does not believe an individual who acted upon a directive from a supervisor has committed a willful offense. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the entire 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 overall rail transportation system, despite the fact that it's physically connected.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible to establish regulations for train operations including those related to safety and the movement of dangerous substances. The agency also oversees rail financing including loans and grants for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and with industry to devise strategies to improve the nation's railroad system. This work includes maintaining current rail infrastructure and services and in addition to addressing the need for additional capacity, strategically expanding the network, as well as coordinating regional and national systems planning and development.
The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation but also manages passenger transportation. The agency aims to connect people to the destinations they desire and offer more alternatives for travel. The agency is focused on improving the experience for passengers and improving the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring 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. fela railroad accident lawyer has become an issue of contention in recent years, with a few states passing legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum size of crew requirements, making sure that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.
This rule also requires that every railroad operating with a crew of one notify FRA and submit an analysis of risk. This will allow FRA to compare the parameters of each operation with the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the review standard of a special approval request to determine if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety, to determining if the operation is safer or safer than two-person crew operation.
During the time of public comments for this rule, a large number of people expressed their support for a requirement for a two person crew. In a letter to the editor, 29 people expressed their concern that a single member of the crew is not in a position to respond in a timely manner to train accidents or malfunctions at grade crossings, or assist emergency response personnel on a highway-rail level crossing. Commenters emphasized that human factors are responsible for a majority of railroad accidents. They believe that a larger team would ensure the security of the train as well as its cargo.
Technology
Freight and passenger rails use a variety of technologies to improve efficiency, improve security, and improve safety. Rail industry jargon includes many distinct terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also called drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones).
Technology isn't just about replacing certain jobs. It empowers people to do their jobs better and more safely. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards to boost ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other developments like autonomous rail cars are getting closer to becoming reality.
The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure secure reliable, affordable, and cost-effective transportation in America, is focused on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar project will see tunnels, bridges tracks, power systems, and tracks upgraded and stations rebuilt or replace. The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will substantially increase the agency's rail improvement programs.
The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential component in this effort. The most recent National Academies review of the office found it excelled at engaging in a continuous dialogue and utilizing the inputs from a range of stakeholders. But it must concentrate on how its research aids in the department's main strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods by railway.
The agency could improve its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail association that focuses on research, policy and standard-setting the Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to assist in the development of industry standards to implement the technology.
The FRA is interested in the group’s development of a taxonomy to describe automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This could apply to both rail transit and on-road vehicles. The agency will also be looking to understand the level of safety risk that the industry perceives associated with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether or not the industry is considering additional security measures to reduce the risk.
Innovation
Railroads are embracing technology to increase worker safety and make business processes more efficient and ensure that the cargo that they transport arrives at its destination intact. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transportation. Some of these technologies enable railroads to send emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to minimize the danger and minimize the damage to property and people.
One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) which will prevent collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be and other accidents resulting from human error. This system is a three-part system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and a massive backend server that collects and analyzes data.
Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to increase safety and security. Amtrak, for example, is testing the use of drones to assist train security personnel locate passengers and items in an emergency. Amtrak is also looking into ways to make use of drones. They could be used to check bridges and other infrastructure or to replace the lights on railway towers, which are dangerous for workers to climb.
Other technologies that can be utilized for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send out a warning to drivers if it's unsafe to travel. These types of technologies are particularly useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized and other issues in the off-hours, when traffic is at its lowest and there are fewer people around to witness an accident.
Another important technological advancement in the rail industry is telematics which allows railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to view a traincar's status and condition by real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews greater accountability and transparency and aid in improving efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays in the delivery of freight to customers.