The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 departments concerned with intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and reliable transportation of people and goods.

FRA field inspectors inspect the railroad track signals, train control and track systems as well as operating procedures. They also investigate complaints.

Definition

A federal railroad is a type of rail transport in the United States that is controlled by the government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces regulations for railways as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve railway transportation. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that are concerned with intermodal transportation, and its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that is made possible by the railway network of the United States. In addition, the agency also supports the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates support from the federal government for rail transportation activities. The agency also regulates the ownership and operation of intermodal facilities, including tracks, right of way, equipment, real estate and rolling stock. It also manages federal rail transportation programs.

FRA's duties also include establishing, through regulation and after an opportunity for comment, a procedure by which anyone can report to the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or issues. Additionally, the FRA establishes policies and conducts inspections in order to evaluate the compliance of its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines tracks signals and train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the rail transportation system is safe, efficient and environmentally sustainable. In turn, the agency requires railroads to provide a safe working environment and provide appropriate training for their employees. Additionally, the agency establishes and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public gets a fair rate for their transportation services.

In addition the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces regulations to prevent discrimination against railroad workers, as well as protects whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad carriers. The agency also establishes a complaint procedure for fela railroad settlements employees to submit complaints about the company's conduct.

The main goal of the FRA is to ensure the safe, reliable and effective transportation of people and goods to ensure a secure America today and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this through regulating rail safety, managing railroad assistance programmes conducting research to support better safety of railroads and national transportation policy as well as coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were large monopolies with little competition. As a result, the industry frequently abused its position in the market. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as and other regulatory agencies, to limit the monopolies' exploitation of railroads.

Purpose

Federal railroads are government-owned agencies that establish rules, regulate funds for rail and conduct research to improve rail transport in the United States. It is responsible for the railroad infrastructure of the United States and manages passenger and freight railroads. It is one of 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding current railway systems, ensuring capability of the railroad industry to meet the growing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in national and regional system planning.

The main responsibility of the federal government in the field of rail transportation is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has several divisions which oversee the country's passenger and freight railway operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of them with a staff of around 350. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, which include track, signalling, train control, motive and equipment, operating procedures, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crosses.

FRA has several departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. It oversees programs designed to improve passenger and freight rail transportation, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for grants given to railways and works with other agencies to plan the nation's rail requirements.

Another important function of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws pertaining to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads from discriminating against employees, and making sure that injured railway workers are transported to the nearest hospital for first aid treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from delay or deny medical treatment for injured railway employees.

The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger rail industries, however there are other agencies that oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for setting rates and managing the economics of the industry. It has regulatory authority on railroad mergers, line sales, construction and abandonment. After the public consultation period the agency is responsible for establishing rules that will allow anyone to file a complaint about any alleged rail safety violations.

Functions

Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in the developed world as also to villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing factories, and then the final products from those facilities to stores and warehouses. Railroads are an essential mode of transportation for many essential products, including coal, oil and grains. In 2020, freight rail carried more than a quarter of the country's total freight volume [PDF(PDF).

Federal railroads operate just like any other company, with departments for marketing and operations, sales and an executive department. The department for marketing and sales collaborates with potential and current customers to determine the kind of rail services they require and the amount they should cost. The operations department then develops rail services that meet these requirements at the cheapest cost to earn money for railroad. The executive department oversees the entire operation, making sure each department is functioning efficiently.

The government offers support to railways in various ways including grants, to subsidised rates for government-owned transport. Congress also provides funds to build new stations and tracks. These subsidy funds are often added to the money that railroads earn through ticket sales and freight contracts.

Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi-public for profit corporation with a significant stockholder, which is the United States government.

A key purpose of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is developing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical state of trains and the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on security of rail lines to determine trends areas that require improvement or attention from regulators and to determine trends.

FRA also participates in other projects that improve the safety and efficiency of railroad transportation in the United States. For instance, the agency is working to eliminate barriers that could delay railroads in the implementation of positive train control (PTC). PTC is an emergency safety system that utilizes sensors and computers on board to stop the train automatically when it is too close to a vehicle or other object.

History

The first railroads in the United States were constructed in the 1820s and 1830s largely in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The railroads greatly accelerated industrialization in those areas and also brought more food items to the market. This development allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent upon foreign imports, which resulted in a solid economic base.

In the latter part of the nineteenth century the railroad industry was experiencing an "Golden Age," during which many new, more efficient rail lines were built, and passenger travel by train became increasingly popular. This was in large part because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. The government, for example, gave land grants to homesteaders in order to encourage them to settle in the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also worked together to build the first transcontinental railroad which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco in just six days.

In the first half century however, the demand for rail passenger services decreased, and other modes of transport such as cars and planes gained in popularity. Meanwhile, stifling regulation stifled railroads' economic ability to compete. A string of bankruptcies, service cuts, and deferred maintenance was the next step. In addition, misguided federal railway regulation caused the demise of the industry.

Around the year 1970, the federal authorities began to ease the regulatory restrictions on railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee economic aspects of the industry, such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration, which supervises freight and passenger transportation and sets rail safety standards, was also created.

Since then, a great amount of money has been made in the nation's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor, for example was rebuilt to accommodate more efficient, faster and modern high speed ground transportation (HSGT) trains. The effort has also been made to improve the efficiency of freight rail systems. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its collaboration with all transportation agencies in order to ensure reliable and safe railroads. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transport system runs as efficiently as is possible.