The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 agencies that deal with intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and secure movement of people and goods.

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

Definition

A federal railroad is a type of rail transport in the United States that is controlled by the government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, formulates and enforces railway regulations and regulates funds for railroads, and conducts research to improve the efficiency of rail transportation. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that is 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 the government's support for rail transportation. Moreover, the agency regulates the management and ownership of all intermodal infrastructures such as tracks, right-of-way, equipment and real property as well as rolling stock, and provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.

FRA's responsibilities also include establishing through regulation and following an opportunity for comment, a procedure by which anyone can report to the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security issues or deficiencies. The agency also establishes guidelines, conducts inspections and assesses the compliance with its rail laws in six different technical disciplines, which include track signal, track, and train control as well as motive power and equipment; operating practices hazardous materials and highway-rail grade intersections.

The agency has the responsibility of making sure that the railroad transportation system is operated in a safe, economical and sustainable manner. The agency also requires that railroads maintain a safe work environment and provide adequate training to their employees. The agency also sets and enforces railroad prices to ensure that the public is charged in a fair manner for transportation services.

In addition the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces regulations to prevent discrimination against railroad employees, and protect whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also establishes an procedure through which railroad employees can make complaints against the company's actions.

The primary goal of the agency is to ensure secure, reliable and efficient transportation of people and goods for a stronger America both now and in the future. The FRA achieves this by controlling rail safety, coordinating railroad assistance programmes conducting research in support of improved railroad safety and national transportation policies, coordinating rail networking development and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads controlled the market, with very little competition. This meant that the industry frequently abused its position in the marketplace. Therefore, Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to prevent the abuses of railroad monopolies.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a federal agency that sets rules, oversees funds for rail and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transportation system. It is responsible for both passenger and freight railroads, and operates the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of ten agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the current rail systems, ensuring the capability of the railroad industry to meet growing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in regional and national system planning.

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

FRA has other departments that include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs that aim to improve passenger and freight rail transportation, like the Northeast Corridor Future. This department also is responsible for the grants that are made to railways and collaborates with other agencies in planning for the nation's rail requirements.

The FRA also has a responsibility to enforce federal laws pertaining to railroads and their workers. This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against employees and making sure that railway workers injured are transported to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. Additionally, railroads are prohibited from refusing or delaying medical treatment to injured railway workers.

The FRA is the primary regulator of the freight and passenger rail industries, however there are other agencies that manage the economic aspects of rail transport. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for establishing rates and managing economics in the sector. It has regulatory authority over railroad mergers, line sales, construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of rules after opportunity for public input that allows anyone to submit complaints about rail safety violations to the agency.

Functions

Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in developed countries as and villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and final goods from these facilities to stores or warehouses. Railroads are a critical form of transportation for many vital commodities, including coal, oil and grains. In 2020, freight rail transported more than a quarter of country's total freight volume [PDF].

Federal railroads operate like any other business with departments for marketing, sales, operations and an executive department. The marketing and sales department works with potential and existing customers as well as clients to determine what services they need and what they need to cost. The operations department then develops rail services that meet these requirements at the lowest price possible to make money for railroads. The executive department supervises the entire operation, ensuring that every department is operating efficiently.

The government supports railways in a variety of ways including grants, to subsidised rates for government-owned transport. Congress also provides money to support and build stations and tracks. These subsidies are usually in addition to the earnings railroads receive from tickets and freight contracts.

In the United States, the government has the railway for passengers, Amtrak. It is a quasi-public for-profit corporation with a large stockholder that is the United States government.

The primary function of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is establishing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical properties of trains, as well as the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects data about rail security to identify trends, areas that need improvement or regulatory attention and to track trends.

FRA also has other projects that improve the safety and efficiency of railroad transportation in the United States. The agency, for example, aims to reduce the barriers that could delay railroads in adopting positive train control (PTC). PTC is a safety system that makes use of sensors and computers on board to stop a train automatically when it is too close to another object or vehicle.

History

In the 1820s-1830s the first railroads in the United States were built, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. Railroads significantly accelerated industrialization in these areas, and also brought more food to the market. This development allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent upon imports from abroad, which contributed to a stronger economic base.

In the late 19th century, the railroad industry enjoyed an "Golden Age" that saw new, more efficient raillines were constructed and passenger travel became popular. This was largely due to the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For instance, the government, gave land grants to homesteaders to encourage them to settle the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also partnered to construct the first transcontinental railroad which allowed passengers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.

In the first half century, however the demand for rail passenger services declined, and other modes of transportation such as cars and planes gained in popularity. However, stifling regulations stifled railroads' economic ability to compete. A series of bankruptcies and service cuts, and deferred maintenance were the result. In addition, a misguided railroad regulations from the federal government caused the decline of the industry.

Around 1970, federal government began loosening the restrictions on railroads' regulatory requirements. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic aspects such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also created, which sets standards for rail safety and is among the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that oversees freight and passenger transportation.

Since then, the railway infrastructure of the United States has seen a significant amount 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 create more efficient systems for freight rail. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its relationship with all transportation agencies in order to ensure the safety and reliability of railroads. It is the responsibility of FRA to help make sure that the nation's transportation system operates as efficiently as possible.