The federal employers’ liability Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations, provides rail funding and studies strategies for improving rail safety.

FRA field inspectors use discretion to determine which cases are worthy of the precise and time-consuming civil penalty process. This helps ensure that the most serious violations are punished.

Allies and members of SMART-TD made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to ensure that two people are in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight isn't over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number 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 oversees rail funding and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technological developments. It also formulates and implements a strategy to ensure that current rail services, infrastructure and capacity, and strategically expands and improves the national rail network. The department requires 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 confidential close call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees that have full participation from unions and anti-retaliation protections and providing employees with the necessary personal protection equipment.

FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of railway safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties are applied to those who break the rail safety laws. The safety inspectors of the agency have broad discretion over whether 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 all reports submitted by regional offices to ensure that they are legal before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is applied only in situations that truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine.

A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern their actions, and not knowingly violate those guidelines to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. The agency does not consider that an individual who acts in response to a supervisor's direction has committed a willful offence. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system that allows passengers and goods to travel within metropolitan and city areas or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within a steelmill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, even though it is physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, ranging from those related to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency is responsible for managing railway finance, including loans and grants to improve service and infrastructure. The agency works with other DOT agencies and industry to devise strategies for improving the nation's rail system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for capacity expansion, expanding the network strategically and coordinating the regional and national system planning and development.

Although the majority of the agency's activities are focused on freight transportation, Federal Employers’ Liability act it also oversees the transportation of passengers. The agency is working to connect people to destinations they desire and offer more options for travel. The agency is focused on improving the experience for passengers, increasing the safety of the current fleet, and ensuring the rail network continues to operate efficiently.

Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations, relating to the size of crews on trains. This is a controversial one in recent years, with a few states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum size of crew requirements, making sure that all railroads follow the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad operating a one-person train crew to notify 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 typical two-person crew operation. In addition this rule alters the criteria for reviewing an approval petition that is based on determining whether an 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 period of public comments for this rule, a lot of people voted for a requirement of a two person crew. A letter written by 29 people outlined their concerns that a single crew member might 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 pointed out that human factors are responsible for more than half of all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger team would ensure the security of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Trains for passenger and freight use various technologies to increase efficiency, increase security, and increase safety. Rail industry jargon comprises many specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also called drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones).

Technology isn't merely replacing jobs, it's also empowering individuals to perform their work more effectively and safely. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones apps and contactless fare payment cards to improve ridership and make the system more efficient. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are getting closer to reality.

As part of its ongoing effort to ensure safe, reliable and affordable transportation for the entire nation The Federal employers’ [73.cholteth.com] Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar effort will see tunnels, bridges, tracks and power systems updated and stations being rebuilt or replaced. The FRA's rail improvement program will be substantially expanded by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central component of this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office concluded that it excelled in engaging, maintaining communication with and using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It is still required to consider how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods by railways.

The agency could increase its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail industry organization that focuses on research, policy, and standard setting the Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards to implement the technology.

The FRA is interested in the group’s 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 on-road vehicles. The agency will also need to know the level of risk to safety that the industry perceives associated with implementing fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are embracing technology to improve worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the cargo they transport reaches its destination in good condition. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight, to new railcar designs that help keep dangerous cargo safe during transportation. Some of these technologies offer railroads the ability to dispatch emergency personnel to the scene of an accident so they can swiftly reduce risks to property and lives.

One of the most well-known 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, and other accidents that are caused by human error. It is a three-part process consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train, wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge backend server that collects and analyzes data.

Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to improve security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to aid security staff in locating passengers and items on board trains in case of an emergency. The company is also examining ways to utilize drones. They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lighting on railway towers, which are dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is another technology that is used in passenger railroads. It is able to detect people or objects on tracks and alert motorists that it is not safe to continue. These types of technologies are particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings as well as other issues that can arise during off-hours, when traffic is at its lowest and there are fewer people to witness an accident.

Another important technological advancement in the railway industry is telematics which enables railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to view the condition and status of a traincar by real-time tracking. Crews and railcar operators can benefit from increased accountability and transparency which will allow them increase efficiency and avoid unnecessary maintenance. It will also help reduce delays when delivering freight.