The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for the safety of rail, regulations and enforcement, rail funding and research on improving rail strategies.

FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to decide which cases merit the time-consuming and precise civil penalty process. This ensures that those violations most deserving of punishment are punished.

SMART-TD members and allies made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to keep two people in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to safeguard the health of its employees and public. It is responsible for creating and Fela Legal Guidance enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also manages rail funding, and studies rail improvement strategies and technological developments. It also creates and implements a strategy to ensure the current rail services, infrastructure and capacity, and strategically develops and improves the nation's rail network. The department expects all railroad employers to abide by strict rules and regulations, empower their employees and provide them with the tools to succeed and stay secure. This includes taking part in the secure close call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees that have full union participation and protection against retaliation and providing employees with needed personal protection equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail laws and regulations. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations of complaints of noncompliance. Anyone who violates the safety rules for rail can be punished with civil penalties. The agency's safety inspectors have broad discretion over whether an incident falls within the statutory description of a civil penalty-worthy act. Additionally the Office of Chief Counsel's security division reviews all reports that are received by regional offices to determine legality before determining penalties. This discretion is exercised both at the regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only used when they are necessary.

To be guilty of a civil infringement, a rail employee must know the rules and regulations governing his or her actions. They also must be aware that they disregard these standards. However the agency doesn't consider anyone who is acting under a direction by a supervisor as having committed a willful violation. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the entire system that transports passengers and goods between cities and metropolitan areas. 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 sets train regulations, ranging from those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency manages rail finance, including loans and grants for service and infrastructure improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's rail system. This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for new capacity, expanding the network strategically, and coordinating the national and regional system development and planning.

The agency is primarily responsible for freight transport, but also oversees passenger transport. The agency aims to connect people to the places they want and provide more options for travel. The agency's primary focus is on improving the passenger's experience, enhancing safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the rail network continues operating efficiently.

Railroads must adhere to a number of federal regulations, including those related to the size of the crews on trains. In recent years this issue has been a source of contention. Certain states have passed legislation mandating two-person crews in trains. The final rule codifies the minimum requirements for crew size at the federal level, making sure that all railroads are held to the same safety standards.

This also requires every railroad operating one-person train crews to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will enable FRA to compare the parameters of each operation to those of a two-person standard crew operation. In addition this rule will change the criteria for reviewing the special approval petition from determining whether an 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 on this rule, many people supported the requirement for a two-person crew. In a formal letter, 29 people expressed their concerns that a single crew member is not able to respond as quickly to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel on a highway-rail level crossing. Commenters pointed out that human factors are the reason for more than half of all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew could ensure the security of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails employ various technologies to improve efficiency, enhance security, and improve safety. The rail industry lingo contains a myriad of unique terms and acronyms, however, some of the most notable innovations include machine vision systems, instrumentsed rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers and drones that are not piloted (commonly called drones).

Technology isn't just replacing certain jobs; it's helping individuals to perform their work more efficiently and with greater security. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphone apps and contactless fare payment cards to improve ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other innovations, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote secure, reliable, and affordable 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 rebuilt tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded, and stations rebuilt or upgraded. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically expand the agency's rail improvements programs.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a major element in this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it was successful in engaging, maintaining communication with and using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It must continue to focus on how its research contributes to the department's main goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods via rail.

The agency could improve its efficiency by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail business organization that is focused on research, policy, and standard setting and has created a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards to implement the technology.

FRA will be interested in the development of an automated rail taxonomy, a system of standards to clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that would be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency would like to know the amount of risk the industry perceives with fully automated operation, and if the industry is considering any additional safeguards to minimize that risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting new technologies to enhance worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the freight they transport arrives at its destination in good condition. Examples of this innovation vary from the use cameras and sensors to keep track of freight, and to new railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo secure during transit. Some of these technologies even allow railroads to send emergency responders to the scene of an accident so they can quickly mitigate the damage and minimize risk to property and people.

One of the most renowned innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC), which will inhibit collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks that shouldn't be, as well as other accidents that are caused by human error. This system is a three-part system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train, wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and a massive backend server that collects and analyzes data.

Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist security staff in locating passengers and other items aboard trains in the event in an emergency. The company is also exploring ways to use drones. They could be used to examine bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lighting on railway towers, which are dangerous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that can be utilized for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send a warning to drivers if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These technologies are particularly effective in detecting unsafe crossings or other issues during the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are less witnesses to an accident.

Another important technological advancement in the railway industry is telematics which allows railroads, shippers and fela legal guidance - redirected here, other stakeholders to monitor the condition and status of a traincar by real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews greater control and visibility. They can also assist them in improving efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in the delivery of freight to customers.