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 researches rail improvement strategies.

FRA inspectors on the ground employ discretion to determine which cases are worthy of the lengthy and precise civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the violations most deserving of punishment are penalized.

SMART-TD members and allies have made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to ensure that two people are 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 its employees and the general public. It creates and enforces regulations for rail safety and oversees the funding for rail. It also researches rail improvement strategies and new technologies. It also formulates and implements a plan to ensure the current infrastructure, services, and capacity, and strategically expands and enhances the national rail network. The department expects that all rail companies adhere to strict guidelines, empower their employees and provide them with tools to be secure and productive. This includes taking part in the confidential close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees, with full participation from unions and anti-retaliation safeguards, and providing employees with needed personal protection equipment.

FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of railway safety regulations and laws. They perform routine inspections on equipment and investigate hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties can be applied to those who break the rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency are able to decide on the extent to which an incident falls within the statutory description of a crime that is punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also reviews the reports that regional offices submit to ensure they are legal before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is applied only in cases that are truly deserving of the effect of a civil fine.

Rail employees must be aware of rules and regulations that govern their actions and be aware of the standards to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. However the agency does not take any person who is acting under a direction by a supervisor as having committed a willful violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system that allows passengers and goods to travel within cities and metropolitan areas and between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within a steelmill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, despite the fact that it's physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency also oversees rail financing which includes loans and grants for improvements to infrastructure and service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's railway system. This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for capacity expansion, expanding the network strategically and coordinating the national and regional system development and planning.

The agency is mostly responsible for freight transportation but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is working to provide more options for passenger travel and connect passengers with the places they would like to travel to. The agency is focused on improving the experience for passengers, improving the safety of the existing fleet, and making sure that the railway system continues to function efficiently.

Railroads must abide by a variety of Federal Employers’ liability regulations, relating to the size of the crews on trains. This is controversial in recent years, with several states passing legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. The final rule codifies the minimum crew size requirements at a federal level, ensuring that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad operating a one-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to better understand the specifics of each operation and compare them with the parameters of a typical two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the standard for reviewing an application for special approval to determine if an operation is "consistent" with fela claims railroad employees safety to determining if the operation is as secure or safer than two-person crew operations.

During the public comment period for this rule, many people expressed support for the requirement for a two-person crew. In a letter to the editor, 29 people expressed their concern that a single crew member will not be in a position to respond with the speed required to respond to train accidents or malfunctions at grade crossings, or assist emergency response personnel at a highway-rail level crossing. The commenters noted that human factors are responsible for more than half railroad accidents and believe that a larger crew could help ensure the safety of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Trains for passenger and freight use different technologies to increase efficiency, increase security, and increase safety. The language used in the rail industry contains a myriad of distinct terms and acronyms but some of the more significant developments include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains rolling data centers, and drones that are not piloted (commonly known as drones).

Technology isn't just about replacing certain jobs. It allows people to perform their jobs more effectively and with greater security. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards to increase passengership and boost the efficiency of their system. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are coming closer to reality.

As part of its ongoing effort to ensure secure, reliable and affordable transportation for the nation The Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar initiative that will see bridges and tunnels restored tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded and stations rebuilt or replaced. The FRA's rail improvements program will be significantly extended by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central element in this initiative. The most recent National Academies review of the office found it excelled at engaging in a continuous dialogue and utilizing the inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It is still required to focus on how its research contributes towards the department's main goal of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people by rail.

The agency could enhance its effectiveness by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the primary industry association for the freight rail industry, which is focused on research, policy and standard setting and has established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help establish standards for the industry.

FRA will be interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy. It is a standard that will clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that will be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will also want to know the degree of risk to safety that the industry sees with implementing fully automated operation and whether or not the industry is considering additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting technology to improve worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the cargo they transport is delivered intact. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight, to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Certain of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to minimize the risk and damage to property and people.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is among the most significant innovations in rail. It will prevent train-to-train accidents, situations where trains are on track they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human errors. The system is a three-part process consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train, wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge backend server that collects and analyzes data.

Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to improve safety and security. Amtrak is one example. It is experimenting with the use of drones in order to help train security personnel locate passengers and items in the event of an emergency. The company is also looking into other possibilities to utilize drones, such as using them to perform inspections of bridges as well as other infrastructure, like replacing the lighting on railway towers, which can be dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is a different technology that is used in railways for passengers. It is able to detect people or objects on tracks and alert drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These kinds of technology are especially useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized and other problems during times when traffic volumes are lowest and there are fewer people to witness an accident.

Telematics is a significant technological advance in the railway industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other stakeholders, to track a traincar in real-time. These capabilities give railcar owners and their crews more control and visibility. They can also help them improve efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays in delivering freight to customers.