The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology
The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail, provides rail funding and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.
FRA field inspectors make use of discretion to decide which cases merit the precise and time consuming civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are punished.
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 continues.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to safeguard the health of its employees and public. It is responsible for developing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also oversees the funding for rail and studies rail improvement strategies and technology. fela settlements creates plans, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain the current infrastructure and services for rail. It also expands and improves strategically the national rail network. The department expects all rail companies to adhere to the strictest rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with tools to succeed and stay secure. This includes participating in the confidential close-call reporting system, establishing labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the required personal protective gear.
Inspectors of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and investigate hundreds of complaints. Anyone who violates the safety rules for rail can be subject to civil penalties. The safety inspectors of the agency are able to decide on the extent to which an individual violation is in line with the legal definition of a crime that is punishable by civil penalties. Additionally, the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division reviews all reports received by regional offices to determine legality before determining penalties. The exercise of this discretion at both the regional and field levels ensures that the lengthy, time-consuming civil penalty process is used only in those situations which truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine.
A rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his actions and knowingly disregard those standards to commit a criminal offense that is punishable by a civil penalty. The agency doesn't consider that a person who acts on a supervisor's directive is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the whole network that allows passengers and goods to travel within cities and metropolitan 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's physically connected.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency also manages financing for rail including loans and grants for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies for improving the nation's rail system. This includes maintaining current rail infrastructure and services and making sure that there is enough capacity and strategically expanding the network, and coordinating national and regional systems planning and development.
The agency is responsible for freight transportation, but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency is working to provide more options for passengers and connect people to the places they would like to go. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience and increasing the safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the rail network is operating efficiently.
Railroads must adhere to a number of federal regulations, including those pertaining to the size of crews on trains. In recent times this issue has become a source of controversy. Some states have passed legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum size of crew requirements, making sure that all railroads follow the same safety standards.
This rule also requires that each railroad that has a one-person crew notify FRA and submit an analysis of risk. This will allow FRA to identify the specific parameters of each operation and compare them with the typical two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule will change the review standard for an approval petition that is based on determining whether the operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining if approving the operation is safer or more secure than a two-crewmember operation.
During the public comment period on this rule, many people expressed support for the requirement of a two-person crew. In a letter to the editor 29 people expressed their concerns that a single crewmember will not be capable of responding with the speed required to respond to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel on the highway-rail level crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors are responsible for more than half of all railroad accidents, and they believe that a larger crew would help ensure the safety of both the train and the cargo it transports.
Technology
Freight and passenger railroads employ numerous technologies to enhance efficiency, add security, increase safety and much more. Rail industry jargon comprises various specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also known as drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones).
Technology isn't merely replacing jobs, it's also empowering people to do their job more efficiently and with greater security. Passenger railroads 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 vehicles, are inching closer to reality.
The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve secure reliable, affordable, and cost-effective transportation in America, is focused on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars initiative that will see tunnels and bridges repaired, tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations reconstructed or replaced. The FRA's rail improvement program will be greatly expanded by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a key element in this effort. The most 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 be aware of how its research contributes to the department's main goal of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people by railways.
The agency could improve its effectiveness by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail business organization that is focused on research, policy and standard setting, has established a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help in developing industry standards to implement the technology.
FRA will be interested in the group's development of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a standardization system that can clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that will be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will need to know the amount of risk that the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, and whether the industry is considering additional safeguards to reduce that risk.
Innovation
Railroads are embracing technology to increase worker safety and make business processes more efficient, and ensure that the cargo it transports arrives at its destination safely. These innovations include cameras and sensors that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies enable railroads to dispatch emergency personnel directly to sites of accidents to minimize risk and damage to property and people.
One of the most renowned 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 result from human errors. This system consists of three parts of onboard locomotive systems that track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that gathers and analyzes data.
Trains for passengers also adopt technology to improve safety and security. Amtrak for instance, is experimenting with the use of drones to help security personnel on trains locate passengers and items in an emergency. Amtrak is also looking into ways to make use of drones. They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructures or to replace the lighting on railway towers, which are dangerous for workers to climb.
Smart track technology is another technology that can be utilized in passenger railroads. It is able to detect objects or people on tracks and notify drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These types of technology are especially valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other issues during times when traffic volumes are lowest and there are fewer people to witness an accident.
Another significant technological advance in the rail industry is telematics, which allows railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to see the status and condition of a traincar via real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews greater control and visibility. They can also help them improve efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays in the delivery of freight to customers.