The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for rail safety regulations and enforcement, as well as funding for rail, and research on rail improvement strategies.
FRA field inspectors use discretion to decide on which cases merit the precise and time-consuming civil penalty process. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.
SMART-TD and its allies created history by 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be allowed in the locomotive cabs of freight trains. The fight is not over.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to safeguard the health of its employees and public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing regulations for rail safety. It also oversees rail funding, and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technology. It also creates the implementation and maintenance of plans for the maintenance of current rail services and infrastructure. It also develops and improves the national rail network. The department expects that all rail operators adhere to strict regulations and 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, establishing occupational health and safety committees, with full participation from unions and anti-retaliation protections and providing employees with the necessary personal protective equipment.
FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of railway safety regulations and laws. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations of complaints of noncompliance. Anyone who violates the rail safety laws could be punished with civil penalties. Safety inspectors from the agency have wide discretion to determine if an act is within the definition provided by law of an act 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 field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only used in cases that warrant their use.
A rail worker must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and knowingly disregard those guidelines to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. The agency doesn't consider that an individual who acts on a supervisor's directive has committed a willful offense. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the whole network that allows passengers and goods to 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 is responsible for establishing train regulations including those related to safety and the transportation of dangerous substances. The agency also oversees rail financing which includes loans and grants for improvements to infrastructure and service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and the industry to develop strategies for improving the country's railroad system. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for new capacity and expanding the network strategically and coordinating national and regional system planning and development.
Although the majority of the agency's work focuses on freight transportation, it also oversees the transportation of passengers. The agency is trying to connect people with the places they'd like to visit and offer more alternatives for travel. The agency's focus is on enhancing the experience for passengers as well as enhancing the safety of its existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network continues operating efficiently.
Railroads are required to abide with a number of federal regulations, including the ones pertaining to the size and composition of the train crews. This issue has become controversial in recent years, with a few states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum size of crew requirements, making sure that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.
This rule also requires each railroad that has a one-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to identify the specifics of each operation and compare them with the standard two-person crew operation. Additionally, this rule changes the review standard for an approval petition that is based on to determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining if approving the operation would be as secure or as safe as a two-crewmember operation.
During the public comment period on this rule, a large number of people supported the requirement of a two-person crew. In a letter to the editor 29 people expressed their concerns that a single member of the crew is not capable of responding in a timely manner to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency personnel on a highway-rail level crossing. The commenters noted that human factors are responsible for more than half all railroad accidents and think that a bigger crew could help ensure the safety of both the train and its cargo.
Technology
Railroads that transport passengers and freight employ a wide array of technologies to enhance efficiency, increase security, improve safety and more. The rail industry lingo includes many specific terms and acronyms, but some of the more 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 allows people to perform their jobs better and more safely. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards in order to increase ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are moving closer to reality.
The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote safe affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in America is focusing on modernizing the rail infrastructure. fela lawsuits -billion dollar project will see tunnels, bridges, tracks and power systems updated and stations renovated or replaced. The FRA's rail improvements program will be significantly expanded by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential component in this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office revealed that it was successful in keeping in touch with inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. But it still needs to concentrate on how its research aids in the department's main objective of ensuring the safe transportation of goods and people by railway.
One area where the agency may be able to increase its effectiveness is by identifying and assisting the advancement of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry, which is focused on research policy, standard-setting and policy created a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help develop standards within the industry.
FRA is interested in the group's development of an automated rail taxonomy. It is a standard that will clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that will be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will also want to know the level of safety risk that the industry sees 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 make business processes more efficient and ensure that the freight that they transport arrives at its destination intact. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transportation. Certain of these technologies allow railroads dispatch emergency personnel directly to sites of accidents to reduce the risk and minimize damage to property and people.
One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop collisions between trains and trains, situations in which trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be and other accidents that are caused by human error. The system is a three-part system comprised 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.
Railroads that transport passengers are also embracing technology to bolster safety and security. Amtrak for instance, is experimenting with drones to help train security personnel find passengers and other items in the event of an emergency. Amtrak is also looking into ways to utilize 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 can be used for passenger railroads include smart track technology that can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send out drivers with a warning if it's unsafe to travel. These technologies are especially useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other problems in the evenings when traffic is less and there are less witnesses to an accident.
Telematics is a significant technological advancement in the railway industry. It allows railways, shippers and other parties to track a traincar in real-time. Crews and railcar operators can benefit from greater accountability and transparency which will allow them improve efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays when delivering freight.