The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology
The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations, provides rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies.
FRA field inspectors use discretion to decide on which cases are worthy of the precise and lengthy civil penalty process. This ensures that the most serious violations of punishment are penalized.
SMART-TD and its allies made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be allowed in the locomotive cabs of freight trains. The fight continues.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to protect the health of employees as well as the public. It is responsible for creating and enforcing regulations for rail safety. It also manages the funding for rail and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technological developments. It also creates the implementation and maintenance of a plan for maintaining current rail services and infrastructure. It also works to expand and improve the rail network across the nation. The department demands that all rail employers adhere to strict rules, empower their employees and provide them with tools to be secure and productive. This includes participating in the secure close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees with full participation from unions and protection against retaliation and providing employees with personal safety equipment.
FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of the rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections on equipment and investigate hundreds of complaints. Anyone who is in violation of the safety rules for rail can be penalized civilly. Safety inspectors from the agency have broad discretion over whether a particular violation meets the statutory description of a criminal penalty-worthy act. Additionally the Office of Chief Counsel's safety department reviews all reports received by regional offices for legality prior to assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the regional and field levels ensures that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is applied only in cases that are truly deserving of the impact of a civil penalty.
To be considered guilty of a civil infringement, a rail employee must know the rules and regulations governing their actions. They also must be aware that they ignore these rules. However, the agency does not consider any individual who follows a directive by a supervisor as having committed an intentional violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system over which goods and passengers travel within metropolitan and city areas and between them. The trackage of a plant railroad at the steel mill isn't considered to be part of the general rail system of transportation even being physically connected to it.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency also oversees rail financing, including grants and loans for infrastructure and service improvements. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's rail system. This work includes maintaining existing rail infrastructure and services and addressing the need for new capacity strategically expanding the network, as well as coordinating regional and national systems planning and development.
While most of the agency's work is focused on freight transportation, it also manages the transportation of passengers. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passenger travel and connect passengers with the places they want to go. The agency is focused on improving the passenger experience, enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network continues to operate efficiently.
Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations, relating to the size of the crews on trains. In recent times the issue has become controversial. Some states have passed legislation requiring two-person teams on trains. The final rule codifies the minimum size of crew requirements at the federal level, making sure that all railroads are held to the same safety standards.
This rule also requires that every railroad operating with a crew of one notify FRA and submit an analysis of risk. This will allow FRA to identify the specific parameters of each operation and compare them with the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule alters the review standard for an approval petition that is based on determining whether the operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether the operation would be as secure or as safe as an operation with two crew members.
During the period of public comment on this rule, a large number of people expressed their support for a requirement for a two person crew. A letter from 29 individuals emphasized their concerns that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to train malfunctions or grade crossing incidents or assist emergency response personnel at a highway rail grade crossing. Commenters noted that human factors are responsible for more than half all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger team could ensure the security of the train as well as its cargo.
Technology
Freight and passenger rails employ a variety of technologies to increase efficiency, increase safety, and boost security. The language used in the rail industry includes a variety of unique terms and acronyms, however, some of the most significant developments include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers and drones that are not piloted (commonly called drones).
Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It helps people do their jobs better and more safely. Passenger railroads are using smartphones apps and contactless fare payment cards to increase ridership and make the system more efficient. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are coming closer to reality.
The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure secure reliable, affordable, and cost-effective transportation in America is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion-dollar effort that will see bridges and tunnels rebuilt tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded and stations rebuilt or upgraded. The FRA's rail improvements program will be greatly extended by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential element in this initiative. Recent National Academies review of the office revealed that it was successful in engaging, maintaining communication and using inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. It is still required to focus on how its research contributes to the department's main goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods via railways.
The agency could increase its efficiency by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail industry organization that focuses on research, policy, and standardization, has established a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help in developing industry standards for implementing the technology.
The FRA is interested in the group’s development of a taxonomy to describe automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This would apply to rail transit as well as vehicles on the road. fela lawsuits 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 the industry is considering adding additional safeguards to mitigate that risk.
Innovation
Railroads are using technology to boost worker safety and improve business processes. efficient and help ensure that the cargo it transports arrives at its destination in good condition. Examples of this kind of innovation include the use of cameras and sensors to monitor freight, to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies even offer railroads the ability to send emergency responders to the scene of an accident so they can quickly mitigate the risks to people and property.
Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most significant innovations in rail. It will keep train-to-train accidents out of the way, as well as situations where trains are on track they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human errors. The system is a three-part system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that connect with the locomotive, and a massive backend server that collects and analyzes data.
Passenger railroads also embrace 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 the event in the event of an emergency. The company is also looking into different ways to use drones, such as using drones to inspect bridges and other infrastructure such as replacing the lights on railway towers that could be dangerous for workers to climb.
Smart track technology is another technology that can be utilized in railways for passengers. It can detect objects or people on tracks and alert drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These types of technology are especially valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other issues during times when traffic is at its lowest and fewer people are around to witness an accident.
Another important technological breakthrough in the railway industry is telematics which allows railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to see a traincar's status and condition through real-time tracking. These capabilities give railcar owners and crews better accountability and transparency and assist them in improving efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays in the delivery of freight to customers.