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 researches rail improvement strategies.

FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the time-consuming and precise civil penalty procedure. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are punished.

SMART-TD members and allies made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to keep two people in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight is not over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to protect the health of its employees and public. It is responsible for developing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also manages rail funding, and studies rail improvement strategies and technologies. It also creates plans, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain the current infrastructure and services for rail. It also works to expand and improve the rail network across the nation. The department expects all rail employers to adhere to the strictest rules and regulations, empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be successful and safe. This includes participation in the secure close call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees, with full union participation, as well as anti-retaliation safeguards, and providing employees with personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws. They perform routine inspections on equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties can be handed out to those who violate rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have a broad discretion on whether an incident falls within the statutory description of a civil penalty-worthy act. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also reviews the reports that regional offices submit to ensure they are legal prior to imposing penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the regional and field levels ensures that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is used only in those situations that are truly deserving of the effect of a civil penalty.

To be guilty of a civil offense the employee of a rail company must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions. They must also knowingly ignore these rules. However the agency doesn't consider anyone who acts under a directive from a supervisor to have committed a willful violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system over which goods and passengers travel within metropolitan areas and between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within the steelmill isn't considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, despite the fact that it is physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains including those related to safety and the movement of dangerous substances. The agency is responsible for managing rail finance, which includes grants and loan to improve service and infrastructure. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's railway system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for additional capacity, expanding the network strategically as well as coordinating the regional and national system's development and planning.

The agency is responsible for freight transportation, but also oversees passenger transport. The agency is working to provide more options for passenger travel and connect passengers with the places they'd like to travel to. The agency's primary focus is on improving the passenger's experience, enhancing safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network continues operating efficiently.

Railroads must comply with many federal regulations, including those related 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. This final rule codifies federally the minimum size crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads follow the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad that operates one-person train crews to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to better identify the specific parameters of each operation and compare them with the normal two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the review standard of a special approval request to determine if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety to determining if the operation is as secure or safer than two-person crew operation.

During the public comment period for this rule, many people supported a two-person crew requirement. A form letter sent by 29 people outlined their concerns that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or crossing incidents or assist emergency responders at a highway-rail grade crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors account for more than half railroad accidents, and they think that a bigger crew will ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports.

Technology

Trains for passenger and freight use a variety of technologies to increase efficiency, enhance safety, and boost security. Rail industry jargon comprises a variety of unique terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also called drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also called drones).

Technology isn't merely replacing jobs -- it's empowering people to do their job more effectively and safely. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards to boost passengership and boost the efficiency of their system. Other innovations, such as autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to becoming reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable transportation in America, is focused on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars initiative that will see bridges and tunnels repaired tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded, and stations rebuilt or upgraded. The FRA's rail improvement program will be significantly increased by the recently approved bipartisan Infrastructure fela law firm.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a major element in this effort. The most recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging, maintaining communication and using inputs from a range of stakeholders. But it still needs to concentrate on how its research contributes to the department's primary strategic goal of ensuring safe transportation of goods and people via railway.

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

The FRA is interested in the development of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This would apply to both rail transit and on-road vehicles. The agency would like to know the amount of risk the industry sees in fully automated operation, as well as whether the industry is contemplating any additional measures to mitigate the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are embracing technology to enhance worker safety, increase efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the cargo they transport is delivered in good condition. Examples of this kind of technological advancement vary from the use sensors and cameras to monitor freight, to new railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency responders to locations of accidents so they can swiftly mitigate damage and minimize risk to property and people.

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

Railroads that transport passengers are also embracing technology to bolster security and safety. Amtrak, for example, is experimenting with the use of drones to assist security personnel on trains locate passengers and other items in an emergency. The company is also exploring other possibilities to utilize drones, for instance, using drones to conduct inspections of bridges and other infrastructure for example, replacing the lighting on railway towers, which could be dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is another technology that can be utilized in railways for passengers. It can detect people or objects on tracks and alert drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These kinds of technologies are particularly beneficial in detecting unsafe crossings as well as other issues that can arise during times when traffic levels are lower and there are fewer people to witness an accident.

Telematics is yet another significant technological breakthrough in the rail industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other stakeholders to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. These capabilities give railcar owners and crews greater accountability and transparency and assist them in improving efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in delivering freight to customers.