The federal employers’ liability Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail, provides rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies.

FRA field inspectors use discretion to decide on which cases are worthy of the precise and time consuming civil penalty process. This discretion helps ensure that the violations most deserving of punishment are penalized.

Allies and members of SMART-TD 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 range of safety measures in place to protect the health and safety of employees as well as the general public. It is responsible for creating and enforcing regulations for rail safety. It also administers the funding for rail and studies rail improvement strategies and technology. It also formulates and implements a strategy to maintain current rail services, infrastructure and capacity and strategically expands and improves the national rail network. The department demands that all rail operators adhere to strict guidelines, empower their employees and provide them with the tools to ensure their safety and success. This includes taking part in the confidential close-call reporting system, setting up occupational health and safety committees with full union participation and anti-retaliation protections and providing employees with the necessary personal safety equipment.

FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a myriad of investigations into complaints of non-compliance. Civil penalties may be handed out to those who violate the rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have a broad discretion to determine whether violations fall within the legal definition of an act punishable by civil penalties. Additionally the Office of Chief Counsel's security division examines all reports submitted from regional offices to determine their legality before determining penalties. This discretion is exercised both at the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only used in cases that warrant their use.

A rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and knowingly disregard those standards to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. The agency doesn't consider an individual who acted in response to a supervisor's direction has committed a willful offense. The agency defines the "general fela railroad settlements system of transportation" as the whole network that passengers and goods travel within cities and metropolitan areas and between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within the steel mill is not considered to be part of the overall rail transportation system, even though it's physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those related to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency oversees railway finance, including grants and loan for service and infrastructure improvement. The agency works with other DOT agencies and with industry to develop strategies to improve the country's railroad system. This includes maintaining current rail infrastructure and services and in addition to addressing the need for additional capacity strategically expanding the network, and coordinating regional and national systems planning and development.

The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passenger travel and connect people to the places they would like to travel to. The agency is focused on improving the experience for passengers, improving the safety of the current fleet, and ensuring the rail network continues to operate efficiently.

Railroads must adhere to a number of federal regulations, relating to the size of the crews on trains. In recent years the issue has become controversial. Certain states have passed legislation requiring two-person teams on trains. This final rule establishes federally the minimum crew size requirements, ensuring that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires that each railroad that has a one-person crew notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will allow FRA to assess the requirements of each operation with the standard two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the standard for reviewing an application for special approval from determining if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is as secure or more secure than a two-person crew operation.

During the time of public comment on this rule, a large number of people voted for a requirement for two persons on the crew. In a letter to the editor 29 people expressed their concerns that a single crewmember will not be able to respond in a timely manner to train accidents or malfunctions at grade crossings, or assist emergency response personnel on the highway-rail level crossing. Commenters pointed out that human factor are responsible for more than half all 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 different technologies to increase efficiency, improve safety, and boost security. Rail industry jargon covers various distinct terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also known as drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also called drones).

Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It empowers people to do their jobs better and with greater security. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to becoming a reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure secure, reliable, and affordable transportation in the United States, is focused on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars project that will see tunnels and bridges restored, tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations reconstructed or upgraded. The FRA's rail improvement program will be substantially increased by the recently approved bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central piece in this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office revealed that it excelled at keeping in touch with and using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. But it must concentrate on how its research contributes to the department's primary strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of goods and people via rail.

The agency could increase its effectiveness by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail industry organization that focuses on research, policy and standard-setting the Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to assist in the development of industry standards for implementing the technology.

The FRA is interested in the development of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation. This would apply to rail transit as well as vehicles on the road. The agency will also be looking to understand the level of risk to safety that the industry perceives associated with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether or not the industry is contemplating 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 reaches its destination in good condition. Examples of such innovations include the use of cameras and sensors to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies enable railroads to dispatch emergency personnel directly to accident sites to minimize danger and minimize the damage to people and property.

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

Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to improve safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to aid security personnel in finding passengers and other items onboard trains in case in the event of an emergency. The company is also examining ways to utilize drones. They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructures or to replace the lights on railway towers, which are dangerous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that could be utilized for passenger railroads include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and issue drivers with a warning if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These types of technologies can be particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other problems in the off-hours, when traffic is at its lowest and there are fewer people to witness an accident.

Another important technological advancement in the railway industry is telematics which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to monitor the condition and status of a traincar via real-time tracking. Railcar operators and crews will benefit from increased accountability and visibility, which will help them to increase efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays when delivering freight.