The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

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

FRA field inspectors use discretion to decide on which cases warrant the exact and time-consuming civil penalty process. This ensures 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 ensure that two people are in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to protect the safety and health of its employees and the general public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing rail safety regulations. It also oversees rail funding and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technologies. It also develops and implements a plan to ensure that current infrastructure, services, and capacity, and strategically expands and improves the nation's rail network. The department requires all rail companies to adhere to strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and secure. This includes participating in the confidential close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees with full participation from unions and protection against retaliation and providing employees with needed personal protective equipment.

FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of railway safety laws and regulations. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct a myriad of investigations into complaints of non-compliance. Anyone who is in violation of rail safety laws may be penalized civilly. Safety inspectors at the agency have wide discretion to determine whether violations fall within the statutory definition of an Employers’ liability act Fela punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also examines all reports submitted by regional offices to determine if they are legal before assessing penalties. This discretion is exercised at both the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in cases that warrant their use.

A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern their actions and knowingly disregard those rules to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. The agency doesn't consider that a person who acts upon a directive from a supervisor is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines "general fela railroad accident lawyer system" as the entire system that transports passengers and goods between cities and metropolitan areas. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steel mill is not considered to be part of the overall rail transportation system, even though it is physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency manages rail finance, which includes loans and grants for service and infrastructure improvement. The agency works with other DOT agencies and with industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's railroad system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for new capacity, expanding the network strategically as well as coordinating the regional and national system's development and planning.

The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency is working to provide more options for passengers and connect passengers with the places they'd like to go. The agency is focused on improving the experience for passengers, increasing the safety of the existing fleet, and making sure that the railway system continues to function efficiently.

Railroads must adhere to a number of federal regulations, including those pertaining to the size of crews on trains. In recent years the issue has been a source of contention. Some states have passed legislation mandating two-person crews in trains. This final rule establishes federally the minimum size crew requirements, making sure that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad that operates a one-person train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation to the standard two-person crew operation. Additionally 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 approving the operation would be as secure or as safe as a two-crewmember operation.

During the period of public comments for this rule, a large number of people expressed their support for a requirement for two persons on the crew. A form letter sent by 29 individuals emphasized 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. The commenters pointed out that human factors are responsible for more than half of all railroad accidents and believe that a larger crew would help ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports.

Technology

Railroads for passenger and freight use various technologies to improve efficiency, add security, increase safety and more. Rail industry jargon comprises a variety of unique terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also called drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicle (also called drones).

Technology isn't just replacing certain jobs, it's also empowering individuals to perform their work better and safer. Passenger railroads use smartphones apps and contactless fare cards to increase passengership and boost the efficiency of their system. Other innovations, such as autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to becoming reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure secure affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in the United States, is focused on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar project that will see tunnels and bridges rebuilt, tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations reconstructed or upgraded. The FRA's rail improvement program will be substantially extended by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a major component of this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it was successful in engaging, maintaining communications with inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. It still needs to be aware of how its research contributes towards the department's primary objective of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods via rail.

The agency could increase its efficiency by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the principal industry association for the freight rail industry that is focused on research policy, standard-setting and policy, established the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help establish standards for the industry.

FRA is likely to be interested in the development of an automated rail taxonomy. It is a system of standards to clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that could be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will also need to know the degree of safety risk that the industry sees with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering additional security measures to reduce the risk.

Innovation

Railroads are using technology to increase worker safety and make business processes more efficient and help ensure that the cargo they move reaches its destination intact. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight, to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency personnel directly to the scene of an accident to minimize the risk and minimize damage to people and property.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most important innovations in rail. It can keep train-to-train accidents out of the way, as well as situations where trains are on track they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human error. The system is a three-part process consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge backend server that gathers and analyzes data.

Passenger railroads also embrace technology to improve security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist security personnel in locating passengers and items on board trains in the event in an emergency. Amtrak is also investigating different ways to use drones, for instance, using them to perform inspections of bridges and other infrastructure, for example, replacing the lighting on railway towers, which can be hazardous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is another technology that can be utilized in railways that transport passengers. It is able to detect objects or people on tracks and warn drivers if it is unsafe to continue. These technologies are particularly effective in detecting unsafe crossings or other issues in the evenings when traffic is less and there are less witnesses to an accident.

Another important technological breakthrough in the railway industry is telematics which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to view the condition and status of a traincar via real-time tracking. Railcar operators and crews will benefit from increased accountability and visibility which can help them to increase efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays when delivering freight.