The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations, provides rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies.

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

SMART-TD, along with its allies, made history by 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be allowed to sit in the cabs of freight trains. The fight is not over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to protect the health and welfare of employees as well as the general public. It creates and enforces safety regulations for rail, administers rail funding and researches strategies for improving rail and technologies. It also develops plans, implements and maintains plans for the maintenance of the current infrastructure and services for rail. It also expands and improves strategically the rail network across the nation. The department requires that all rail companies adhere to strict guidelines, empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be secure and productive. This includes taking part in the confidential close-call reporting system, establishing labor-management occupational health and safety committees, with full participation from unions and protection against retaliation and providing employees with the necessary personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail laws and regulations. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct a myriad of investigations of complaints of noncompliance. Anyone who violates rail safety laws may be punished with civil penalties. Safety inspectors at the agency have a broad discretion to determine if violations fall within the definition provided by law of an liability act fela punishable with civil penalties. Additionally the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division reviews all reports received by regional offices for legality prior to assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the field and regional levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is utilized only in situations that are truly deserving of the effect of a civil penalty.

To be convicted of a civil offense, a rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions. They must also be aware of and not adhere to these rules. The agency does not consider 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 transports passengers and goods between cities and metropolitan areas. The trackage of a plant railroad at a steel mill is not considered to be part of the overall transportation system by rail even although it is physically connected to it.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing train regulations that pertain to safety and the transportation of hazardous substances. The agency manages rail finance, which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to devise strategies for improving the nation's rail infrastructure. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for capacity expansion and expanding the network strategically, and coordinating regional and national system's development and planning.

While most of the agency's work focuses on freight transportation, it also manages the transportation of passengers. The agency is working to offer more options for federal Employers’ passenger travel and connect passengers with the places they would like to travel to. The agency is focused primarily on improving the experience of passengers and enhancing the safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the rail system continues to operate efficiently.

Railroads are required to comply with a number of federal regulations, including those that deal with the size and composition of train crews. This issue has become an issue of contention in recent years, with several states passing legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. The final rule codifies the minimum size of crew requirements at the federal level, making sure that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad that has a one-person train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will enable FRA to compare the parameters of each operation to the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the standard for reviewing an approval request that is a special case to determine if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety, to determining if the operation is as safe or more secure than a two-person crew operation.

During the public comment period for this rule, a lot of people supported a two-person crew requirement. A letter written by 29 people outlined their concerns that a single crew member might not be as quick to respond to issues with trains or grade crossing incidents, or assist emergency responders at a highway-rail grade crossing. Commenters noted that human factors are the reason for more than half of all railroad accidents. They believe that a bigger crew could ensure the safety of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Freight and passenger railroads employ various technologies to improve efficiency, add security, improve safety and more. Rail industry jargon includes a variety of specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also called drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also called drones).

Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It helps people perform their jobs better and safer. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones apps and contactless fare payment cards to improve ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other innovations, such as autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve secure, reliable, and affordable transportation in the United States is focusing on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar project that will see tunnels and bridges repaired, tracks and power systems upgraded and stations 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 major component of this effort. Recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging, maintaining communication and using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It is still required to focus on how its research contributes to the department's main goal of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people by rail.

The agency could improve its efficiency by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail business organization that is focused on policy, research and standard-setting and has created a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to assist in the development of industry standards for implementing the technology.

FRA is interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a standard that will clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that will be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will also need to know the level of safety risk that the industry believes is associated when implementing a fully automated system and whether the industry is considering adding additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are embracing technology to increase worker safety, boost efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the cargo they transport is delivered intact. Examples of such innovation include the use of cameras and sensors to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Certain of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to reduce the risk and minimize damage to people and property.

One of the most prominent innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC), which will inhibit collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be, as well as other accidents that are caused by human error. This system consists of three components: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a massive server that collects and analyses data.

Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist security personnel in finding 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 check 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 issue an alert to drivers when it's unsafe to travel. These types of technologies can be particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other issues during times when traffic levels are lower and there are fewer people around to witness an accident.

Another important technological advancement in the railway industry is telematics which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to see the status and condition of a traincar through real-time tracking. These capabilities give railcar owners and their crews more accountability and transparency and help them improve efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in delivering freight to customers.