15 Reasons You Shouldn't Ignore Federal Railroad
The Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of the DOT that are accountable for intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and reliable transportation of goods and people.
FRA field inspectors routinely inspect railroad track, signal and train control 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) is a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, develops and enforces railway regulations and regulates funds for railroads, and conducts research to improve rail transportation. The FRA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's intermodal transportation division, and its top officers are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator.
The agency supervises all freight and passenger transport that uses the nation's railway network. In addition, the agency also supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation activities. The agency also regulates the ownership and operation of intermodal facilities like tracks, rights of way equipment, real estate and rolling stock. It also manages federal rail transportation programs.
The FRA's duties include establishing, through regulation, following the notice and comments are allowed an avenue through anyone can report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security issues or shortcomings. The agency also develops guidelines, conducts inspections and evaluates compliance with its rail laws in six technical disciplines, which include track, signal, and train control as well as motive power and equipment; operating procedures hazardous materials and highway-rail grade intersections.
The agency is in charge of ensuring that the railroad transportation system is operating in a safe, economical, and environmentally friendly manner. In turn, the agency requires railroads to maintain an environment that is safe for workers and provide adequate training for their employees. The agency also sets and enforces railroad prices to ensure that the public is charged fair prices for transportation services.
The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and implements rules to prevent discrimination towards railroad employees. They also shield whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also has an procedure through which railroad employees can make complaints against the company's actions.
The agency's primary mission is to facilitate the secure reliable and efficient movement of goods and people to ensure a secure America both now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this by regulating railroad safety, managing railroad assistance programs, conducting research to support improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policy as well as coordinating and assisting with the development of a rail network, and helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads dominated the market with little competition. As a result, the industry often abused its position in the marketplace. Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, as along with other regulatory agencies, to curb the monopolies' exploitation of railroads.
Purpose
The federal railroad is a federal agency that makes rules, oversees funds for rail and researches ways to improve the nation's rail transportation system. It oversees both freight and passenger railroads and operates the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of ten agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding existing rail systems, as well as ensuring the capability of the railroad industry to meet growing travel and freight demands and providing leadership in national and regional system planning.
The main responsibility of the federal government in the rail transportation industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has a number of divisions that supervise the country's passenger and freight rail operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest with approximately 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, including track, signalling, train control, motive and equipment operating procedures, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.
FRA has additional departments which include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs aimed at enhancing passenger and freight rail transportation, like the Northeast Corridor Future. The department is also in charge of the grants that help railways, and it collaborates with other agencies to plan for the country's rail needs.
The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws related to railroads and their workers. This includes stopping railroads from discriminating against employees, and making sure that all railway employees injured receive transportation to the nearest hospital for initial aid treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from delay or deny medical treatment for injured railway workers.
The FRA is the primary regulator for the freight and passenger rail industry, however other agencies oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for instance is responsible for setting rates and governing the economics of the industry. It is also the regulator for railroad mergers, line-sales construction and abandonment. After a period of public consultation, the agency is also responsible for establishing rules that will allow anyone to report any suspected safety issues with rail.
Functions
Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in developed countries as well as villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing factories, and then the final products from those facilities to warehouses and stores. Railroads are an essential mode of transportation for a variety of essential commodities, including oil, coal and grains. In 2020, freight railroads carried more than a quarter of the freight volume in the United States [PDF].
Federal railroads operate like any other business with departments for marketing, sales, operations and an executive department. The department for marketing and sales talks with customers and potential clients to determine what services they need and what they need to cost. The operations department then produces rail services that meet these needs at the lowest cost possible to generate revenue for railroads. The executive department is responsible for the entire operation, making sure every department is running smoothly.
The government supports the railways in a variety ways, from grants to subsidized rates for shipping government traffic. Congress also provides funds to help build new stations and tracks. These subsidy funds are often added to the revenue that railroads receive through ticket sales and freight contracts.
In the United States, the government has the passenger railway Amtrak. It is a quasi-public for-profit corporation with a significant stockholder, which is the United States government.
A major function of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical state of trains and the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects and analyzes data on rail safety in order to identify patterns and areas that might require improvement or more regulatory attention.
In addition to these core functions, FRA works on various other projects related to improving the security and economy of rail transportation in the United States. The agency, for example, aims to reduce the obstacles that hinder railroads in adopting positive train control (PTC). PTC is a safety system that uses sensors and computers on board to stop the train automatically when it gets too close to another vehicle or other object.
History
The first railroads in the United States were built in the 1820s and 1830s mostly in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. fela lawyers accelerated the industrialization process in those areas and also brought more food to the market. This development allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on foreign imports, which resulted in a solid economic base.
In the 19th century's final years, the railroad industry enjoyed the benefits of a "Golden Age" in which new, more efficient raillines were built and passenger travel became popular. This was in large part because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For instance, the government, gave homesteaders land grants in order to encourage them to move to the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to build the first transcontinental railroad which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.
In the first half century, however, the demand for passenger rail services dwindled, while other modes of transport such as cars and planes gained in popularity. In the meantime, the stifling of regulation hindered railroads' ability to compete. A series of bankruptcies and delays in maintenance and service cuts was the next step. The misguided federal rail regulations contributed to the decline.
Around 1970, the federal government began to ease the regulatory shackles on railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee economic aspects of the industry, such as mergers and rates for railroads. The Federal Railroad Administration was also created, which sets rules for safety in rail and is one of the 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation which oversees passenger and freight transportation.
Since then, the railroad infrastructure of the United America has seen a great deal of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt, for instance, to accommodate more efficient and modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There have also been efforts to develop more efficient freight rail systems. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its collaboration with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe railroads. It is the job of FRA to help make sure that the nation's transportation system operates as efficiently as it can.