The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology
The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations, provides rail funding and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.
FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the lengthy and precise civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the violations most deserving of punishment are penalized.
SMART-TD, along with its allies, made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be allowed in the cabs of freight trains. The fight is not over.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration has a variety of safety measures in place to protect the health and safety of its employees and the general public. It formulates and enforces regulations for rail safety and oversees the funding for rail. It also studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technologies. It also formulates the implementation and maintenance of a plan for maintaining current rail services and infrastructure. It also develops and improves the national rail network. The department requires all rail companies to adhere to the strictest rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and secure. This includes participation in the confidential close call reporting system, establishing labor-management occupational health and safety committees with full union participation and protection against retaliation and providing employees with needed personal protective equipment.
FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of rail safety regulations and laws. They perform routine inspections on equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Anyone who violates the safety rules for rail can be punished with civil penalties. The safety inspectors of the agency have a broad discretion on whether a particular violation meets the statutory description of a civil penalty-worthy act. In addition, the Office of Chief Counsel's security division reviews all reports that are received from regional offices to determine their legality before determining penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is used only in situations which truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil penalty.
A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his actions and be aware of the standards to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. The agency does not believe that an individual who acts in response to a supervisor's direction has committed a willful offense. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the entire system that carries goods and passengers within and between cities and metropolitan areas. The trackage of a plant railroad in a steel mill is not considered part of the general rail system of transportation, even being physically connected to it.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those related to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency also manages rail financing, including grants and loans for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and with industry to develop strategies to improve the country's railroad system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for new capacity, expanding the network strategically, as well as coordinating the national and regional system planning and development.
While the majority of the agency's activities are focused on freight transportation, it also manages the transportation of passengers. The agency is trying to connect people with the places they'd like to visit and offer more options for travel. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience as well as improving the safety of the existing fleet, and making sure that the railway system continues to function efficiently.
Railroads are required to abide with a number of federal regulations, which include those that deal with the size and composition of crews on trains. This is an issue of contention in recent years, with several states passing legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies the minimum requirements for crew size at an international level, and ensures that all railroads are subject to the same safety standards.
fela lawsuits requires each railroad that operates a one-person train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will enable FRA to compare the parameters of each operation with those of a two-person standard crew operation. In addition, this rule changes the review standard for the special approval petition from determining whether the operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether the operation is safer or more secure than an operation with two crew members.
During the public comment period on this rule, a large number of people supported the requirement for a two-person crew. A letter written by 29 people outlined their concerns that a single crew member would not be as quick to respond to train malfunctions or grade crossing incidents or assist emergency responders at a highway-rail grade crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors are responsible for more than half railroad accidents and they think that a bigger crew would help ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports.
Technology
Trains for passenger and freight use various technologies to improve efficiency, enhance safety, and boost security. Rail industry jargon comprises many unique terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also called drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also called drones).
Technology isn't just about replacing certain jobs. It allows people to do their jobs better and with greater security. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and make the system more efficient. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are getting closer to reality.
As part of its ongoing effort to advance secure, reliable and affordable transportation options for the country, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar effort that will see tunnels and bridges restored, tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations reconstructed or upgraded. The FRA's rail improvements program will be greatly increased by the recently approved bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a key component in this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it excelled in keeping in touch using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It must continue to focus on how its research contributes to the department's primary objective of ensuring safe movement of goods and people by railways.
The agency could enhance its effectiveness by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry, which is focused on research policy, standard-setting and policy and has established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help establish standards for the industry.
The FRA is interested in the group’s development of a taxonomy to describe automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This could apply to both rail transit and vehicles on the road. The agency will also want to know the level of risk to safety that the industry believes is associated with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether or not the industry is contemplating additional security measures to reduce the risk.
Innovation
Rail companies are adopting new technologies to increase worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the cargo they transport is delivered intact. Examples of this kind of innovation include the use of sensors and cameras to keep track of freight, and to new railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo secure during transit. Some of these technologies allow railroads send emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to minimize the risk and minimize damage to people and property.
One of the most prominent innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop train-to-train collisions, situations where trains are on tracks they shouldn't be, and other accidents resulting from human errors. The system is comprised of three parts consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train; wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive; and a huge server that analyzes and collects data.
Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to improve safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist security personnel in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring ways to make use of drones. They could be used to examine bridges and other infrastructures or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are hazardous for workers to climb.
Other technologies that can be utilized for passenger railroads include smart track technology, which is able to detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and send out drivers with a warning if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These technologies are particularly useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues during the evenings, when traffic is low and there are less witnesses to an accident.
Telematics is yet another significant technological advancement in the rail industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other stakeholders, to monitor a traincar in real-time. These capabilities give railcar owners 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.