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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

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

FRA inspectors on the ground employ discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the time-consuming and precise civil penalty procedure. This discretion helps ensure that the violations most deserving of punishment are penalized.

SMART-TD members and allies made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to keep two people in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to protect the health of employees as well as the public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing rail safety regulations. It also manages rail funding, and studies rail improvement strategies and technologies. It also develops, implements and maintains plans for the maintenance of current rail services and infrastructure. It also develops and improves 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 safe. This includes taking part in the secure close call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees with full union participation, as well as anti-retaliation protections and providing employees with needed personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations of complaints of noncompliance. Civil penalties may be handed out to those who violate the rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have wide decision-making power to determine if a violation falls under the legal definition of an offense that is punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also scrutinizes all reports submitted by regional offices to determine if they are legal before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the field and regional levels helps ensure that the lengthy, time-consuming civil penalty process is applied only in cases that truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine.

A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his actions and knowingly disregard those standards to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. The agency does not believe that a person who acts upon a directive from a supervisor has committed a willful offence. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the whole network that carries goods and passengers between cities and metropolitan areas. The trackage of a plant railroad within 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 to establish regulations for train operations, such as those relating to safety and the movement of dangerous substances. The agency oversees railway finance, including loans and grants for service and infrastructure improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's rail infrastructure. This work includes maintaining existing rail infrastructure and services, making sure that there is enough capacity and strategically expanding the network and coordinating national and regional systems planning and development.

Although the majority of the agency's work focuses on freight transportation, it also oversees the transportation of passengers. The agency is working to offer more options for passengers and connect people to the places they'd like to travel to. The agency's focus is on improving the experience of passengers as well as enhancing the safety of its existing fleet and ensuring the rail system continues to operate efficiently.

Railroads are required to comply with a number of fela federal employers liability act regulations, which include those that deal with the size and composition of crews on trains. This is controversial in recent years, with several states enacting legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. The final rule codifies the minimum requirements for crew size at an international level, and ensures that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards.

This rule also requires each fela claims railroad employees that operates a one-person train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to better understand the specifics of each operation and compare them with those of a typical two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule alters the standard of review for the special approval petition from to determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether approving the operation would be as safer or more secure than a two-crewmember operation.

During the period of public comments for this rule, a number of people voiced their support for a requirement for two persons on the crew. A letter from 29 people expressed their concern that a single crew member would not be as quick to respond to train malfunctions or grade crossing incidents, or assist emergency response personnel at a highway rail grade crossing. Commenters pointed out that human factors are the reason for more than half all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew could ensure the safety of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Railroads for passenger and freight use a wide array of technologies to enhance efficiency, increase security, increase safety and more. Rail industry jargon covers many specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also known as drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones).

Technology isn't just replacing some jobs; it's helping people to do their job more efficiently and with greater security. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards in order to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are moving closer to becoming reality.

As part of its ongoing effort to improve safe, reliable, and affordable transportation for the entire 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 repaired, tracks and power systems upgraded and stations rebuilt or upgraded. The FRA's rail improvements program will be significantly extended by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a major piece in this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it excelled at engaging, maintaining communication with and using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It must continue to consider how its research contributes to the department's primary goal of ensuring the safety 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, 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 assist in the development of industry standards for the implementation of the technology.

The FRA is interested in the development of a taxonomy to describe automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation. This could apply to rail transit as well as on-road vehicles. The agency will also need to understand the level of safety risk that the industry believes is associated when implementing a fully automated system and whether or not the industry is contemplating additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Railroads are embracing technology to increase worker safety and make business processes more efficient, and ensure that the freight they move reaches its destination safely. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight, to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies even offer railroads the ability to dispatch emergency personnel to locations of accidents so they can quickly mitigate the damage and minimize risk to people and property.

One of the most renowned innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC), which will inhibit train-to-train collisions, situations where trains are on tracks they shouldn't be and other accidents that result from human mistakes. The system is comprised of three parts of onboard locomotive systems that track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that analyzes and collects data.

Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to enhance safety and security. Amtrak is one example. It is experimenting with the use of drones in order to help security personnel on trains locate passengers and other items in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring ways to use drones. They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructures or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are hazardous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is another technology that is used in passenger railroads. It is able to detect people or objects on tracks and alert drivers if it is unsafe to continue. These technologies are especially effective in detecting unsafe crossings or other issues during the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are fewer witnesses to an accident.

Telematics is yet another significant technological advancement in the railway industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other stakeholders, to track a traincar in real-time. These capabilities give railcar owners and crews greater control and visibility. They can also help them improve efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in delivering freight to customers.