The Advanced Guide To Federal Railroad The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 agencies that deal with intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and efficient transportation of people and goods.

FRA field inspectors examine the railroad track signals, train control and track systems, as well as operating practices. They also investigate complaints.

Definition

Federal railroads are rail transporters in the United States controlled by the federal government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, formulates and enforces regulations governing railways and regulates funds for railroads, and conducts research to improve railway transportation. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation which is responsible for intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that is made possible by the railway system of the United States. Additionally the agency supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates the government's support for rail transportation activities. Moreover, the agency regulates the operation and ownership of all intermodal facilities, such as tracks, right-of-way equipment, real property and rolling stock, and provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.

FRA's duties also include establishing through regulation and following an opportunity for comments, a procedure by which anyone can report to the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or deficiencies. In addition, the agency establishes policies and conducts inspections to assess the compliance of its rail safety laws in six technical disciplines that include track, signal and train control, motive power and machinery operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency is tasked with the responsibility of making sure the railroad transportation system is secure, economical and sustainable. As a result, the agency requires railroads to maintain the safety of their workers and provide the appropriate training to their employees. The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is charged fair prices for transportation services.

In addition, the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces regulations to prevent discrimination against railroad workers, and protect whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad companies. The agency also establishes a procedure by which railroad employees can make complaints about the actions of the company.

The agency's primary mission is to ensure the secure, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods to build a stronger America both now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this by regulating railroad safety, managing railroad assistance programs conducting research to help better safety of railroads and national rail transportation policy and coordination, as well as supporting the development of rail networks as well as helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were huge monopolies, with no competition. This meant that the industry frequently abused its position in the marketplace. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as well as other regulatory agencies, to limit the monopolies' exploitation of railroads.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a federal agency that establishes regulations, manages funds for rail and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transportation system. It operates the rail infrastructure of the United States and supervises freight and passenger railroads. It is one of 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the current railroad systems.

The government's primary responsibility in the field of rail transportation is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for this, and has several divisions responsible for overseeing the country's freight and passenger rail operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of these, with around 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, including track, signalling, train control as well as motive and equipment, operating procedures, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings.

FRA has various departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department is responsible for programs aimed to improve passenger and freight railway transport, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for the grants given to railways, and collaborates with other agencies in order to plan the nation's railway requirements.

The FRA also has a responsibility to enforce federal laws that pertain to railroads and workers. This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against employees and making sure that injured railway employees are transported to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from refusing or delaying medical care to injured railway workers.

The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger rail industries, but there are other agencies which manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for determining rates and governing the economics of the industry. It has regulatory authority over railroad mergers and line sales, construction and abandonment. After an open consultation period, the agency is also responsible for establishing regulations that permit anyone to file a complaint about any alleged safety issues with rail.

Functions

Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in the developed world as also to villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and final goods from these facilities to stores or warehouses. Railroads are a critical form of transportation for many vital products, including oil, coal and grains. In 2020, freight rail transported more than a quarter of the country's total freight volume [PDF].

Federal railroads operate like any other business with departments for marketing and operations, sales and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales works with potential and current customers to determine what kind of rail services they require and how much they will cost. The operations department then produces the rail services that meet those needs at the lowest cost to generate revenue for the railroad. The executive department oversees the entire operation, ensuring that every department is running smoothly.

The government offers support to the railways in various ways including grants, to subsidised rates for shipping government traffic. Congress also provides funds to help construct new tracks and stations. These subsidies are often in addition to the earnings railroads receive from tickets and freight contracts.


Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi public for-profit corporation, which has the United States Government as a major stockholder.

A key role of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is developing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This involves regulating the mechanical condition of trains and the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also analyzes and collects information on rail safety to identify trends and areas that may require more or better regulation.

In addition to these fundamental functions, FRA works on various other projects aimed at improving the security and economy of railroad transportation in the United States. For example, the agency seeks to eliminate obstacles that could hinder railroads' introduction of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a security technology that uses sensors and computers on board to stop a train at the moment it is too close to an vehicle or object.

History

In the 1820s-1830s the first railroads in America were built, primarily in New England and Mid-Atlantic. The railroads significantly accelerated the industrialization process in those areas, and also brought more food to the market. This allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on foreign imports, which contributed to a stronger economic base.

In the latter part of the 19th century the railroad industry experienced an "Golden Age" during which new, more efficient raillines were built and passenger transportation became popular. This was largely because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For instance the government offered homesteaders land grants to encourage them to move to the West and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads collaborated to build the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed travel from New York to San Francisco in six days.

However, in the first half of the 20th century, demand for railroad passenger services slowed and other modes of transport like automobiles and planes gained in popularity, while regulations choked railroads competitiveness economically. A string of bankruptcies, delays in maintenance and service cuts were the result. Misguided fela attorneys contributed to the decline.

Around 1970, the federal government began to ease the regulatory shackles on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic aspects such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration, which oversees passenger and freight transportation and sets rail safety standards was also established.

Since then, a great deal of investment has been made in the nation's railroad infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor, for example, has been rebuilt to accommodate faster, more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT) trains. The effort has also been made to improve the efficiency of freight rail systems. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its collaboration with all transportation agencies to ensure the safety and reliability of railroads. It is the responsibility of FRA to ensure that the transportation system of the United States operates as efficiently as it can.