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 studies strategies for improving rail safety.
FRA field inspectors use discretion to determine which cases are worthy of the precise and lengthy civil penalty process. fela lawsuits helps ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.
SMART-TD and its allies made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be allowed to sit in the cabs of freight trains. The fight continues.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration has a variety of safety measures in place to protect the safety and health of employees as well as the general public. It is responsible for developing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also oversees rail funding and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technological developments. It also develops plans, implements and maintains plans for the maintenance of current rail services and infrastructure. It also expands and improves strategically the rail network across the nation. The department expects all rail companies to abide by strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with the tools to succeed and stay secure. This includes taking part in the confidential close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees, with full union participation, as well as protection against retaliation and providing employees with needed personal protection equipment.
FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of railway safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections on equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Those who violate the rail safety laws could be penalized civilly. Safety inspectors from the agency are able to decide on the extent to which an incident falls within the statutory definition of a crime that is punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also reviews the reports submitted by regional offices to determine if they are legal prior to imposing penalties. This discretion is exercised at both the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only used in situations that warrant them.
A rail worker must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and knowingly disregard those guidelines to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. However, the agency does not consider any individual who follows a directive from a supervisor to have committed a willful violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system that passengers and goods travel within metropolitan and city areas or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within the steelmill isn't considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, even though it's physically connected.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible to establish regulations for train operations including those related to safety and the movement of dangerous substances. The agency also manages financing for rail including loans and grants for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency works with other DOT agencies and industry to devise strategies for improving the rail system of the United States. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, responding to the demands for capacity expansion, expanding the network strategically, as well as coordinating the regional and national system planning and development.
The agency is responsible for freight transportation but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is working to offer more options for passenger travel and connect passengers with the places they'd like to go. The agency is focused primarily on enhancing the experience for passengers and enhancing the safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the rail network is operating efficiently.
Railroads must adhere to a number of federal regulations, including those related to the size of 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 the minimum crew size requirements at the federal level, making sure that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards.
This rule also requires that every railroad operating with a crew of one notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will allow FRA to better identify the specifics of each operation and compare them with the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule alters the criteria for reviewing an approval petition that is based on determining whether the operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether the operation is safe or safer than a two-crewmember operation.
During the public comment period for this rule, a lot of people backed the requirement of a two-person crew. A letter written by 29 people expressed their concern that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or crossing incidents, or assist emergency response personnel at a highway-rail grade crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors account for more than half of all railroad accidents and they believe that a larger crew will ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports.
Technology
Trains for passenger and freight use different technologies to improve efficiency, increase security, and increase safety. Rail industry jargon comprises various specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable 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 doesn't just replace some jobs. It allows people to perform their jobs better and more safely. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards to boost ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are coming closer to becoming reality.
The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote secure affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in the United States is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion-dollar initiative that will see bridges and tunnels restored tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded and stations rebuilt or upgraded. The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically grow the agency's rail improvement programs.
The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential component in this initiative. The most recent National Academies review of the office revealed that it was successful in engaging with, maintaining communication and utilizing inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. It still needs to be aware of how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods by railways.
One area in which the agency might be able to improve its effectiveness is by identifying and assisting the development of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the primary industry association for the freight rail industry that is focused on research, policy and standard setting, established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help create standards within the industry.
The FRA is interested in the creation of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This could apply to both rail transit and vehicles on the road. The agency would like to know the level of risk that the industry perceives with fully automated operation, and whether the industry is considering additional safeguards to minimize the risk.
Innovation
Railroads are using technology to increase worker safety and make business processes more efficient and ensure that the cargo it transports arrives at its destination in good condition. These innovations include cameras and sensors that monitor freight to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transportation. Some of these technologies even allow railroads to send emergency responders to locations of accidents so they can swiftly mitigate damage and minimize risk to property and lives.
Positive Train Control (PTC) is among the most important innovations in rail. It will stop train-to-train accidents, instances when trains are in a position they shouldn't be, and other accidents caused by human errors. The system is a three-part system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and an enormous backend server that collects and analyzes data.
Railroads that transport passengers are also embracing technology to enhance security and safety. Amtrak, for example, is experimenting with drones to help security personnel on trains locate passengers and other items in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring ways to use drones. They could be used to check bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lighting 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 is able to detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and send an alert to drivers when it's unsafe to proceed. These kinds of technologies are particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other problems during off-hours, when traffic is at its lowest and fewer people are around to witness an accident.
Another important technological advancement in the rail industry is telematics which enables railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to view the condition and status of a traincar via real-time tracking. Traincar crews and operators can benefit from greater accountability and transparency which can help them increase efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and delay in the delivery of freight.