The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 agencies that deal with intermodal transportation. Its mission is enabling the secure and reliable transportation of people and goods.

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

A federal railroad is a railway in the United States that is controlled by the federal government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces regulations governing railways as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve the efficiency of rail transportation. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation that are concerned with intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that utilizes the railway network of the United States. In addition, the agency also supports the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation activities. The agency also regulates ownership and operation of intermodal facilities such as tracks, right of way equipment, real estate and rolling stock. It also oversees federal rail transportation programs.

The FRA's responsibilities also include the establishment through regulation, and after an opportunity for comments an procedure that anyone can notify the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or issues. In addition, the agency creates policies and conducts inspections to assess compliance with its rail safety laws in six technical disciplines tracks signal and train control, motive power and equipment operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency has the responsibility of ensuring that the railroad transportation system operates in a safe, economical, and environmentally friendly way. In turn, the agency requires railroads to provide the safety of their workers and provide appropriate training for their employees. The agency also sets and fela legal Advice enforces railroad prices to ensure that the public is billed in a fair manner for transportation services.

The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination against railroad employees. The agency also safeguards whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also establishes an avenue for railroad employees to submit complaints about the conduct of the company.

The primary goal of the agency is to ensure secure, reliable and efficient movement of goods and people for a strong America now and in future. The FRA achieves this by controlling rail safety, coordinating programs to assist railroads, conducting research in support of improving safety in the railroad industry and national transportation policy and coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were huge monopolies with little competition. The railroad industry took advantage of its dominance in the market as a result. This is why Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to prevent the abuses of railroad monopolies.

Purpose

Federal railroads are government-owned agencies that set rules, regulate rail funds and conduct research to improve rail transport in the United America. It manages the rail infrastructure of the United States and manages freight and passenger railroads. It is one of the ten agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding existing rail systems, as well as ensuring the ability of the rail industry to meet growing travel and freight demands and providing leadership in regional and national system planning.

The primary responsibility of the government in the railway industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has several divisions which oversee the country's passenger and freight rail operations. The largest of them is the Office of Railroad Safety, with approximately 350 safety inspectors and is responsible for conducting inspections that determine compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines that include track signals, train control, motive power and equipment, operating procedures hazardous materials and highway-rail grade crossings.

FRA has several departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This oversees the programs that aim to improve freight and passenger railway transportation, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for grants for fela legal advice railways and collaborates with other agencies to plan the nation's rail requirements.

The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws that pertain to railroads and their workers. This includes stopping railroads from using their power to discriminate against workers and making sure that railway workers injured are transported 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 for the passenger and Fela legal Advice freight rail industry, however other agencies oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for determining rates and governing economics in the industry. It has regulatory authority on railroad mergers, line sales, construction, and abandonment. After a period of public consultation, the agency is also responsible for establishing regulations that permit anyone to report any suspected rail safety violations.

Functions

Railroads transport goods and people to and from cities in the developed countries as also remote villages in less-developed countries. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing plants, and finished products from these factories to warehouses and stores. Railroads are a critical form of transportation for many vital commodities, such as oil, coal and grains. In 2020, freight rail transported over a quarter of the nation's total freight volume [PDF(PDF).

Federal railroads operate as a business just like other businesses, with departments for marketing, sales, operations and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales consults with customers and potential clients to determine what services they need and what they need to cost. The operations department then develops the rail services that meet these needs at the lowest cost to earn money for the railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation and makes sure that every department is operating efficiently.

The government provides support to railways by a variety of means that include grants and subsidized rates for government traffic. Congress also provides money to support and build stations and tracks. These subsidies are often in addition to the earnings the railroads receive from tickets and freight contracts.

Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi public for-profit corporation, which has the United States Government as a major stockholder.

A major role of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical state of trains as well as the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects and analyzes information on rail safety to identify trends and areas that may need improved or increased regulation.

FRA also participates in other projects that improve the economy and safety of railway transportation in the United States. For instance, the agency aims to reduce barriers that could hinder railroads' implementation of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a safety system that makes use of sensors and computers on board to automatically stop the train when it is too close to a vehicle or other object.

History

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

In the 19th century's final years the railroad industry experienced an "Golden Age" during which new, more efficient rail lines were built and passenger travel became popular. This was in large part because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. The government, for instance provided homesteaders land grants to encourage them to settle the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also worked together to build the first transcontinental railway, which allowed passengers to travel from New York City to San Francisco in just six days.

In the first half century however, the demand for passenger rail services decreased, and other modes of transportation like planes and cars increased in popularity. However, stifling regulations stifled railroads' economic ability to compete. The industry was plagued by a succession of bankruptcies, service cuts, and delayed maintenance. The misguided federal rail regulations contributed to the decline.

Around the year 1970 the federal government started to loosen the regulatory burdens on railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee economic aspects of the industry, such as mergers and rates for railroads. The Federal Railroad Administration, which supervises freight and passenger transportation and sets rail safety standards, was also created.

Since then, the railway infrastructure of the United America has seen a great deal of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, to accommodate more efficient and modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There have also been efforts to develop more efficient freight rail. FRA hopes to continue working with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the coming years. It is the agency's job to help make sure that the transportation system of the United States operates as efficiently as it can.