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 conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.
FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to decide which cases merit the time-consuming and precise civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are punished.
Members of SMART-TD and their allies 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 variety of safety measures in place to ensure the health and welfare of its employees and the general public. It develops and enforces rail safety regulations as well as manages funding for rail and researches strategies for improving rail and new technologies. It also creates the implementation and maintenance of plans for the maintenance of the current infrastructure and services for rail. It also works to expand and improve the rail network across the nation. The department expects all railroad employers to adhere to the strictest rules and regulations, and empower their employees and provide them with tools to succeed and stay safe. This includes taking part in the confidential close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees that have full participation from unions and protection against retaliation and providing employees with the necessary personal protection equipment.
FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of the rail safety regulations and laws. They perform routine inspections on equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Anyone who is in violation of the safety rules for rail can be punished with civil penalties. Safety inspectors at the agency have wide discretion to determine whether a violation falls under the statutory definition of an act that is punishable with civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also reviews the reports submitted by regional offices to ensure that they are legal before assessing penalties. This discretion is exercised at both the regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in cases that warrant their use.
To be convicted of a civil offense an employee of a railroad must know the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions. They must also be aware of and disregard these standards. However the agency doesn't take any person who is acting under a direction from a supervisor as having committed a willful violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire network that allows passengers and goods to travel within metropolitan areas, or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in a steel mill is not considered to be part of the overall transportation system that trains, even being physically connected to it.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, ranging from those related to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency also oversees rail financing, including grants and loans for improvements to infrastructure and service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies to improve the rail system of the United States. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for additional capacity, expanding the network strategically, as well as coordinating the regional and national system development and planning.
The agency is responsible for freight transportation, but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is working to connect people to the destinations they desire and offer more choices for travel. The agency's primary focus is on improving the experience of passengers, enhancing safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the rail system continues to operate efficiently.
Railroads are required to comply with a variety of federal regulations, which include the ones pertaining to the size and composition of the train crews. In recent years, this issue has become controversial. Some states have passed legislation requiring two-person crews on trains. This final rule establishes federally the minimum size of crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.
This rule also requires each railroad operating one-person train crews to inform FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. fela claims railroad employees will allow FRA to compare the parameters of each operation to the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. Additionally, this rule changes the criteria for reviewing the special approval petition from determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether approving the operation would be as secure or as safe as a two-crewmember operation.
During the period of public comment on this rule, a large number of people voted for a requirement for two persons on the crew. A letter written by 29 people expressed their concern that a single crew member might not be as quick to respond to train malfunctions or grade crossing incidents or assist emergency responders at a highway-rail grade crossing. Commenters pointed out that human factor are responsible for more than half of all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew could ensure the safety of the train as well as its cargo.
Technology
Freight and passenger rails employ different technologies to improve efficiency, increase safety, and boost security. Rail industry jargon covers a variety of distinct terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also known as drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also called drones).
Technology isn't just replacing certain jobs -- it's empowering individuals to perform their work better and safer. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are moving closer to becoming reality.
The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve safe, reliable, and affordable transportation in America, is focused on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar project that will see tunnels and bridges restored tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded and stations rebuilt or replaced. The FRA's rail improvement program will be substantially expanded by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a major component of this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office concluded that it excelled in engaging, maintaining communication with inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It still needs to focus on how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring safe movement of goods and people by rail.
One area in which the agency may be able to improve its effectiveness is in identifying and assisting the development of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads, the freight rail industry's primary industry organization that focuses on policy, research and standard-setting the Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards to implement the technology.
FRA is interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy, a standard that will clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that would be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will also be looking to know the degree of safety risk that the industry perceives associated with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether or not the industry is contemplating additional safeguards to mitigate that risk.
Innovation
Railroads are using technology to boost worker safety and make business processes more efficient and help ensure that the freight they move reaches its destination intact. Examples of this kind of innovation include the use of sensors and cameras to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies even allow railroads to send emergency response personnel to locations of accidents so they can swiftly mitigate risks to people and property.
One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop train-to-train collisions, situations where trains are on tracks they shouldn't be and other accidents that are caused by human error. This system consists of three parts consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive; and a massive server that analyzes and collects data.
Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to increase safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist passenger security staff in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in case of an emergency. The company is also exploring ways to make use of drones. They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lights on railway towers that are dangerous for workers to climb.
Other technologies that could be utilized for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and issue a warning to drivers if it's unsafe to travel. These kinds of technologies can be particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other issues during off-hours, when traffic levels are lower and there are fewer people around to witness an accident.
Another important technological advancement in the rail industry is telematics, which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to view the status and condition of a traincar through real-time tracking. Traincar crews and operators can benefit from greater accountability and visibility which will allow them increase efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays when delivering freight.