Five Things Everybody Does Wrong About Federal Railroad The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for safety regulations for rail and enforcement, rail funding, and research on improving rail strategies.

FRA inspectors on the ground make use of discretion to determine which cases merit the time-consuming and precise civil penalty procedure. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

Allies and members of SMART-TD made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to allow two people in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight is not over.


Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to ensure the health of its employees and public. It formulates and enforces rail safety regulations, administers rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies and new technologies. It also creates and implements a strategy to ensure the current rail services, infrastructure and capacity and strategically expands and improves the nation's rail network. The department demands that all rail companies adhere to strict guidelines that empower their employees and provide them with tools to ensure their safety and success. This includes participating in the confidential close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees with full union participation and protection against retaliation and providing employees with the necessary personal protective equipment.

FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of railway safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a myriad of investigations of complaints of non-compliance. Civil penalties can be handed out to those who violate rail safety laws. Safety inspectors at the agency have wide discretion to determine if a violation falls under the statutory definition of an act that is punishable with civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also examines all reports submitted by regional offices to ensure they are legal before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at both the field and regional levels ensures that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is utilized only in those situations that truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine.

To be convicted of a civil infringement the employee of a rail company must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions. They must also be aware of and ignore these rules. However the agency doesn't consider any individual who follows a directive from a supervisor to have committed an intentional violation. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the entire system that transports passengers and goods within and between cities and metropolitan areas. The trackage of a plant railroad at the steel mill isn't considered part of the general rail system of transportation, even although it is physically connected to it.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, ranging from those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency manages railway finance, including loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvement. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to develop strategies to improve the rail system of the United States. This work includes maintaining current rail infrastructure and services, 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 responsible for freight transport, but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency is working to provide more options for passenger travel and connect people with the places they would like to travel to. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience, increasing the safety of the current fleet, and ensuring 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. This is an issue of contention in recent years, with some states enacting legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. fela settlements defines federally the minimum size of crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads follow the same safety standards.

This rule also requires that every railroad that has a one-person crew notify FRA and submit an analysis of risk. This will enable FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation to the standard two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule will change the standard of review for an approval petition that is based on determining whether the operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining if approving the operation is safe or safer than an operation with two crew members.

During the public comment period for this rule, a lot of people expressed support for the requirement for a two-person crew. In a letter to the editor 29 people voiced their concern that a single crewmember would not be able to respond with the speed required to respond to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings, or assist emergency personnel on an elevated highway crossing. The commenters noted that human factors account for more than half of all railroad accidents and they believe that a larger team would help ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails employ a variety of technologies to improve efficiency, increase security, and increase safety. Rail industry jargon includes many specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also known as drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicle (also called drones).

Technology isn't merely replacing jobs -- it's empowering people to do their job more effectively and safely. Passenger railroads are using smartphone apps and contactless fare payment cards to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other developments like autonomous rail cars are getting closer to becoming 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 initiative that will see bridges and tunnels restored, tracks and power systems upgraded and stations rebuilt or replaced. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will substantially expand the agency's rail improvements programs.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential part of this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office revealed that it excelled at engaging, maintaining communication using inputs from a wide range of stakeholders. However, it needs to be more focused on how its research contributes to the department's primary objective of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods via rail.

The agency could improve its efficiency by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads, the freight rail industry's primary association that focuses on research, policy, and standardization, has established a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help in developing industry standards for implementing the technology.

FRA will be interested in the group's development of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a standard that will clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that would be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will also want to know the level of risk to safety that the industry perceives associated when implementing a fully automated system and whether or not the industry is contemplating additional security measures to reduce the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting new technologies to enhance worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the cargo they transport reaches its destination in good condition. Examples of this innovation range from the use of cameras and sensors to monitor freight, to new railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies allow railroads dispatch emergency personnel directly to the scene of an accident to minimize risk and damage to property and people.

One of the most renowned innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) which will prevent train-to-train collisions, situations where trains are on tracks that shouldn't be, as well as other accidents that result from human error. The system is a three-part system comprised of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that connect with the locomotive, and a massive backend server that gathers and analyzes data.

Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to bolster safety and security. Amtrak is one example. It is testing the use of drones in order to help train security personnel locate passengers and other items in an emergency. Amtrak is also looking into ways to utilize drones. They could be used to examine bridges and other infrastructure or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is a different technology that is used in railways for passengers. It is able to detect people or objects on tracks and warn drivers if it is unsafe to continue. These types of technology are especially beneficial in detecting unsafe crossings and other problems during times when traffic levels are lower and fewer people are around to witness an accident.

Telematics is yet another significant technological advancement in the rail industry. It allows railways, shippers and other stakeholders, to monitor a traincar in real-time. These capabilities provide railcar operators and their crews more accountability and transparency and aid in improving efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays in delivering freight to customers.