The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for the safety of rail, regulations and enforcement, rail funding and research on improving rail strategies.
FRA field inspectors employ discretion to decide which cases warrant the exact 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 by 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be in the cabs of freight locomotives. trains. The fight is not over.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to safeguard the health of its employees and public. It formulates and enforces regulations for rail safety, administers rail funding and researches strategies for improving rail and new technologies. It also formulates and implements a plan to ensure that current rail services, infrastructure and capacity, and strategically expands and improves the national rail network. The department expects that all rail operators adhere to strict guidelines, empower their employees and provide them with tools to be secure and productive. This includes an anonymous close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full participation from unions and anti-retaliation clauses and providing employees with the required personal protective gear.
FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations of complaints of non-compliance. Civil penalties can be handed out to those who violate the rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have a broad discretion on whether an incident falls within the statutory definition of a criminal penalty-worthy act. Additionally the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division examines all reports submitted from regional offices to determine their legality before determining penalties. The exercise of this discretion at both the regional and field levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is used only in those situations that are truly deserving of the effect of a civil fine.
Rail employees must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his actions and knowingly disregard those guidelines to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. The agency doesn't consider an individual who acted upon a directive from a supervisor is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the whole network that transports passengers and goods within and between metropolitan areas and cities. The trackage of a plant railroad in a steelmill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, despite the fact that it is physically connected.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains including those related to safety and the transportation of hazardous substances. The agency oversees rail finance, which includes loans and grants to improve service and infrastructure. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies for improving the nation's rail system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for additional capacity and expanding the network strategically and coordinating the national and regional system development and planning.
The agency is mostly responsible for freight transportation, but also oversees passenger transport. The agency is working to provide more options for passenger travel and connect people with the places they want to go. The agency is focused on improving the experience for passengers as well as improving the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring the rail network is operating efficiently.
Railroads must comply with a range of federal regulations, including those that deal with the size and composition of train crews. In recent times the issue has been a source of contention. Certain states have passed legislation mandating two-person crews on trains. The final rule codifies the minimum size of crew requirements at an international level, and ensures that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards.
This rule also requires each railroad that has a single-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation with the standard two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the review standard of a special approval request to determine if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety, to determining if the operation is as safe or safer than two-person crew operations.
During the time of public comments for this rule, a lot of people voiced their support for a requirement of two people on the crew. fela railroad accident lawyer from 29 people expressed their concern that a lone crewmember could 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 noted that human factors account for more than half of railroad accidents and they believe that a larger team will 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 more. The rail industry lingo contains a myriad of unique terms and acronyms, but some of the more notable developments include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones).
Technology isn't just replacing some jobs -- it's empowering people to perform their jobs more efficiently and with greater security. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to reality.
As part of its ongoing effort to ensure secure, reliable and affordable transportation for the nation, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar project that will see tunnels and bridges rebuilt as well as tracks and power systems upgraded and stations rebuilt or upgraded. The FRA's rail improvements program will be substantially extended by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central piece in this initiative. Recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging in a continuous dialogue and utilizing the inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. It still needs to consider how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring the safety of goods and people by rail.
The agency could enhance its efficiency by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the primary industry association for the freight rail industry that is focused on research, policy and standard setting created a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help create standards within the industry.
The FRA is interested in the creation of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This would apply to both rail transit and on-road vehicles. The agency will need to know the degree of risk that the industry sees in fully automated operation, and if the industry is considering any additional safeguards to minimize that risk.
Innovation
Rail companies are adopting new technologies to increase worker safety, boost efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the freight they transport arrives at its destination in good condition. These innovations include cameras and sensors that monitor freight, to new railcar designs that help keep dangerous cargo safe during transportation. Some of these technologies allow railroads send emergency responders directly to sites of accidents to reduce the risk and minimize damage to property and people.
One of the most prominent innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC), which will inhibit collisions between trains and trains, situations in which trains are on tracks they shouldn't be and other accidents that are caused by human errors. This system is made up of three components of onboard locomotive systems that track the train; wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive; and a massive server that gathers and analyzes data.
Passenger railroads also embrace technology to improve safety and security. Amtrak, for example, is experimenting with drones to help security personnel on trains locate passengers and other items in an emergency. Amtrak is also looking into ways to make use of drones. They could be used to check bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are dangerous for workers to climb.
Other technologies that can be used for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which is able to detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send drivers with a warning if it's unsafe to proceed. These types of technologies are particularly beneficial in detecting unsafe crossings and other issues in the off-hours, when traffic volumes are lowest and fewer people are around to witness an accident.
Another important technological breakthrough in the railway industry is telematics which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to view the status and condition of a traincar through real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and their crews more control and visibility. They can also aid in improving efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in the delivery of freight to customers.