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 conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.

FRA field inspectors use discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the precise and lengthy civil penalty process. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

Allies and members of SMART-TD have made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to allow two people in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to protect the health and safety of its employees and the general public. It formulates and enforces safety regulations for rail and oversees the funding for rail. It also studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technology. It also develops and implements a strategy to ensure that current infrastructure, services, and capacity, and strategically expands and improves the national rail network. The department requires all railroad employers to adhere to strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with tools to be successful and safe. This includes participation in the confidential close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees, with full union participation and protection against retaliation and providing employees with the necessary personal protective equipment.

FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of railway safety laws and regulations. They perform routine inspections on equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Those who violate rail safety laws may be penalized civilly. Safety inspectors from the agency have a broad discretion to determine whether a violation falls under the statutory definition of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties. In addition the Office of Chief Counsel's security division reviews all reports that are received by regional offices to determine legality before determining penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is applied only in cases that truly warrant the deterrent impact of a civil penalty.

Rail employees must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern their actions, and not knowingly violate those standards to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. However the agency doesn't consider anyone who follows a directive from a supervisor to have committed an intentional violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system that allows passengers and goods to travel within metropolitan areas and between them. The trackage of a plant railroad at the steel mill isn't considered to be part of the overall rail system of transportation even being physically connected to it.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency also manages financing for rail which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvements. The agency works with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's railroad system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for additional capacity and expanding the network strategically, and coordinating regional and national system's development and planning.

Although the majority of the agency's work focuses on freight transportation, it also oversees the transportation of passengers. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passengers and connect people to the places they would like to travel to. The agency is focused on improving the experience for passengers and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and making sure that the railway system continues to function efficiently.

Railroads are required to comply with a range of federal regulations, including those that deal with the size and composition of the train crews. This is a controversial one in recent years, with a few states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum size of crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.

This law also requires that each railroad operating a one-person crew notify FRA and submit an analysis of risk. This will enable FRA to compare the parameters of each operation to the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule alters the standard of review for a special approval petition from 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 time of public comment for this rule, a large number of people expressed their support for a requirement for a two person crew. In a formal letter 29 people expressed their concern that a single crewmember would not be capable of responding in a timely manner to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel on an elevated highway crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors account for more than half of all railroad accidents and believe that a larger team will ensure the safety of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails use a variety of technologies to increase efficiency, increase security, and improve safety. The rail industry lingo includes many unique terms and acronyms, but some of the most significant developments include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers, and drones that are not piloted (commonly called drones).

Technology isn't just replacing some jobs -- it's empowering people to perform their jobs more effectively and safely. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones and contactless fare payment cards to improve ridership and make the system more efficient. Other developments like autonomous rail cars are getting closer to becoming reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote secure, reliable, and affordable transportation in the United States is focusing on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar project will see bridges, tunnels, tracks and power systems updated, and stations being rebuilt or replaced. The FRA's rail improvement program will be greatly expanded 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. But it must focus more on how its research helps the department achieve its primary strategic goal of ensuring the safe transportation of goods and people by railway.

One area in which the agency may be able to 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 that focuses on research policy, standard-setting and policy, established the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help create standards within the industry.

FRA is interested in the creation of an automated rail taxonomy, a standard that will clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that could be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will also want to know the level of safety risk that the industry believes is associated with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting new technologies to increase worker safety, increase efficiency in business processes and ensure that the cargo they transport arrives at its destination in good condition. Examples of this kind of innovations vary from the use cameras and sensors to keep track of freight, and to new railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency personnel to areas of accidents so that they can quickly mitigate the risks to property and people.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most important innovations in rail. It can prevent train-to-train accidents, situations when trains are in a position they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human error. 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 massive server that collects and analyses 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 the event of an emergency. Amtrak is also investigating different ways to use drones, such as using drones to inspect bridges and other infrastructure such as replacing the lighting on railway towers, which can be hazardous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that can be used for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and send an alert to drivers when it's unsafe to proceed. These types of technologies are particularly useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized and other problems during times when traffic is at its lowest and fewer people are around to witness an fela accident investigation (home-page).

Another important technological breakthrough in the railway industry is telematics which allows railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to see the condition and status of a traincar through real-time tracking. These capabilities give railcar owners and crews greater accountability and visibility and can assist them in improving efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance, Accident Injury Lawyers and prevent delays in the delivery of freight to customers.