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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail The Federal Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and studies strategies for improving rail safety.

FRA field inspectors employ discretion to determine which cases merit the precise and lengthy civil penalty process. This ensures that those violations most deserving of punishment are penalized.

SMART-TD members and allies made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to allow two people in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight isn't over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to safeguard the health of employees as well as the public. It formulates and enforces regulations for rail safety and oversees the funding for rail. It also studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and new technologies. It also develops and implements a plan to ensure the current rail services, infrastructure and capacity, and strategically develops and improves the nation's rail network. The department expects all rail employers to abide by strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with tools to succeed and stay secure. This includes the confidential close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full union participation and antiretaliation provisions and giving employees the necessary personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations of complaints of noncompliance. Civil penalties are imposed on those who violate the rail safety laws. The safety inspectors of the agency have broad discretion over whether an incident falls within the statutory description of a criminal penalty-worthy liability act fela. Additionally, the Office of Chief Counsel's security division reviews all reports that are received from regional offices to determine their 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 applied only in cases that truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil penalty.

To be convicted of a civil offense an employee of a railroad must know the rules and regulations governing their actions. They also must be aware that they disregard these standards. The agency doesn't consider an individual who acted upon a directive from a supervisor has committed a willful offence. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the whole network that allows passengers and goods to travel within metropolitan areas or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within the steelmill isn't considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, even though it is physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains including those related to safety and the movement of hazardous substances. The agency also manages rail financing including loans and grants for improvements to infrastructure and service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and with industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's railway system. This work includes maintaining current rail services and infrastructure and in addition to addressing the need for additional capacity and strategically expanding the network and coordinating regional and national systems planning and development.

The agency is mostly responsible for freight transport, but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passengers and connect people with the places they would like to travel to. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience as well as 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 the crews on trains. In recent times the issue has become a source of controversy. Certain states have passed legislation that requires two-person crews in trains. The final rule codifies the minimum requirements for crew size at the federal level, making sure that all railroads are held to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad that has one-person train crews 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 alters the standard of review for a special approval petition from determining whether the operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether approving the operation would be as safe or safer than a two-crewmember operation.

During the public comment period for this rule, many people supported the requirement of a two-person crew. In a form letter, 29 people expressed their concern that a single crewmember would not be capable of responding in a timely manner to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel on a highway-rail level crossing. The commenters noted that human factors account for more than half all railroad accidents and think that a bigger crew could help ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports.

Technology

Freight and passenger railroads employ various technologies to improve efficiency, improve security, improve safety and much more. The rail industry vernacular contains a myriad of unique terms and acronyms, but some of the most significant developments include machines-vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly called drones).

Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It allows people to do their jobs better and more safely. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones and contactless fare payment cards to improve ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other innovations, like autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to becoming reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve safe, reliable, and affordable transportation in the United States, is focused on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion-dollar initiative that will see tunnels and bridges restored as well as tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations rebuilt or replaced. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly expand the agency's rail improvements programs.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a key piece in this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office revealed that it was successful in keeping in touch with inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It is still required to be aware of how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people by rail.

The agency could improve its effectiveness by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry, which focuses on research and policy, as well as standard setting and has established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help establish standards for the industry.

FRA is interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy, which 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 would like to know the level of risk the industry perceives with fully automated operation, and whether the industry is contemplating any additional safeguards to minimize that risk.

Innovation

Railroads are embracing technology to boost worker safety, make business processes more efficient, and ensure that the cargo it transports arrives at its destination safely. Examples of such technological advancement vary from the use cameras and sensors to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo safe during transit. Certain of these technologies provide a way for railroads to dispatch emergency personnel to areas of accidents so that they can quickly mitigate the risks to property and lives.

One of the most prominent innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop collisions between trains and trains, situations in which trains are on tracks that shouldn't be, and other accidents that are caused by human error. It is a three-part process consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train and wayside networks that connect with the locomotive, and an enormous backend server that gathers and analyzes data.

Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to increase security and safety. Amtrak for instance, is experimenting with the use of drones to assist train security personnel locate passengers and other items in an emergency. The company is also looking into other ways to use drones, including deploying them to perform inspections of bridges and other infrastructure for example, replacing the lights on railway towers, which could be dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is a different technology that is used in passenger railroads. It can detect people or objects on tracks and warn drivers if it is unsafe to continue. These types of technology are especially useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized and other issues in the off-hours, when traffic is at its lowest and there are fewer people to witness an accident.

Another important technological breakthrough in the rail industry is telematics, which allows railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to view the status and condition of a traincar through real-time tracking. Traincar crews and operators can benefit from increased accountability and visibility which will allow them to increase efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and delay in the delivery of freight.