The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations The Federal Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.

FRA field inspectors make use of discretion to decide which cases merit the precise and lengthy civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that those violations most deserving of punishment are punished.

Allies and members of SMART-TD have made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to keep two people in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight isn't over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to ensure the health and safety of its employees and the general public. It develops and enforces regulations for rail safety and oversees the funding for rail. It also studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technologies. It also creates and implements a strategy to ensure the current infrastructure, rail services and capacity, and strategically expands and improves the national rail network. The department requires all rail companies to abide by strict rules and regulations, empower their employees and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and safe. This includes taking part in the confidential close-call reporting system, creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees that have full-union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the needed personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations of complaints of non-compliance. Anyone who is in violation of the safety rules for rail can be subject to civil penalties. Safety inspectors from the agency are able to decide on the extent to which an individual violation is in line with the statutory description of a crime that is punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also scrutinizes all reports that regional offices submit to determine if they are legal before assessing penalties. This discretion is exercised both at 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 the rules and regulations that govern his actions and be aware of the rules to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. However the agency does not consider anyone who acts under a directive from a supervisor to have committed an intentional violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the whole network that allows passengers and goods to travel within metropolitan areas or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steel mill isn't considered to be part of the general transportation system by rail, even being physically connected to it.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible to establish regulations for train operations that pertain to safety and the movement of dangerous substances. The agency also manages rail financing including loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvements. The agency works with other DOT agencies and with industry to devise strategies to improve the nation's railway system. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for new capacity and expanding the network strategically, and coordinating the national and regional system planning and development.

The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passenger travel and connect passengers with the places they would like to go. The agency's primary focus is on improving the passenger's experience and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet and ensuring the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads are required to comply with a range of federal regulations, which include those relating to the size and composition of the train crews. In recent years the issue has become controversial. Some states have passed legislation requiring two-person crews on trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum size crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad that has a single-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to better identify the specifics of each operation and compare them to those of a normal two-person crew operation. Additionally, this rule changes the review standard for the special approval petition from determining whether the operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether approving the operation is secure or as safe as an operation with two crew members.

During the public comment period for this rule, many people expressed support for the requirement of a two-person crew. In a formal letter, 29 people expressed their concern that a single member of the crew is not in a position to respond in a timely manner to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings, or assist emergency personnel on the highway-rail level crossing. Commenters pointed out that human factor are responsible for more than half of all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew would ensure the safety of the train as well as its cargo.

Technology

Trains for passenger and freight use different technologies to increase efficiency, enhance security, and increase safety. Rail industry jargon includes various distinct terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also known as drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicle (also known as drones).

Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It empowers people to perform their jobs more effectively and with greater security. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones and contactless fare payment cards to increase ridership and make the system more efficient. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are coming closer to becoming reality.

The federal employers’ liability act Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve secure, reliable, and affordable transportation in the United States, is focused on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars initiative that will see bridges and tunnels repaired, tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations rebuilt or upgraded. The FRA's rail improvements program will be greatly extended by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a major component of this initiative. Recent National Academies review of the office found it excelled at engaging, maintaining communication and using inputs from a range of stakeholders. It must continue to focus on how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods via rail.

One area where the agency may be able to increase its effectiveness is by identifying and assisting the advancement of automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the principal industry association for the freight rail industry that focuses on research, policy and standard setting created the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to assist in helping develop standards within the industry.

The FRA is interested in the group's development of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation. This would apply to rail transit as well as on-road vehicles. The agency will need to know the level of risk that the industry perceives with fully automated operation, and whether the industry is considering any additional measures to mitigate the risk.

Innovation

Railroads are adopting technology to improve worker safety and improve business processes. efficient and ensure that the freight they move reaches its destination intact. These innovations include cameras and sensors that monitor freight, to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transportation. Some of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency responders directly to accident sites to minimize the danger and minimize the damages to property and individuals.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is among the most significant developments in rail. It can stop train-to-train accidents, instances where trains are on track they shouldn't be, and other accidents caused by human errors. The system is comprised of three components: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that analyzes and collects data.

Railroads that transport passengers are also embracing technology to enhance safety and security. Amtrak is one example. It is testing the use of drones in order to help security personnel on trains locate passengers and other items in an emergency. The company is also exploring different ways to use drones, including deploying them to perform inspections of bridges as well as other infrastructure, such as replacing the lights on railway towers, which can be dangerous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that can be used for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and issue an alert to drivers when it's unsafe to proceed. These kinds of technologies can be particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings as well as other issues that can arise during times when traffic volumes are lowest and there are fewer people to witness an accident.

Telematics is another important technological breakthrough in the railway industry. It allows shippers, railways and other parties to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. Traincar crews and operators can benefit from increased accountability and visibility, which will help them to increase efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays when delivering freight.