20 Fun Infographics About 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 secure and efficient transportation of people and goods.
FRA field inspectors regularly check railroad tracks, signals and train control systems as well as operating procedures. They also investigate complaints.
Definition
Federal railroads are the rail carriers in the United States controlled by the federal government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces regulations for railways as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve railway transportation. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation that is concerned with intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.
The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that utilizes the railway system of the United States. In addition the agency is also involved in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation activities. Moreover, the agency regulates the operation and ownership of all intermodal infrastructures such as tracks, rights-of-way, equipment and real property as well as rolling stock, and provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.
The FRA's responsibilities are to establish through regulation, following the opportunity for notice and comment, a process by which any person may report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security issues or shortcomings. The agency also establishes policies, conducts inspections and evaluates the compliance with its railroad laws in six technical disciplines, including track signal, track, and train control locomotive power and equipment; operating procedures as well as hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections.
The agency is tasked with the responsibility of making sure the railroad transportation system is safe, efficient and environmentally sustainable. In turn, the agency requires railroads to provide an environment that is safe for workers and provide appropriate training for their employees. Additionally, the agency establishes and enforces railroad rates to ensure that the public receives an equitable price for their transportation services.
In addition, the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees as well as protects whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad companies. The agency also establishes a procedure for railroad employees to make complaints regarding the conduct of their company.
The main goal of the agency is to facilitate the secure, reliable, and efficient movement of goods and people for a strong America both now and in the future. fela lawsuits accomplishes this through overseeing the regulation of rail safety, managing programs to assist railroads, conducting research to support better safety of railroads and national transportation policies, coordinating rail networking development and helping the private industry manage railroads. In the past, railroads controlled the market, with very little competition. As a result, the industry often abused its position in the marketplace. This is why Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to curb the abuses committed by railroad monopolies.
Purpose
The federal railroad is a government agency that sets regulations, manages funds for rail and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It supervises passenger and freight railroads, and also manages the nation's railway infrastructure. It is one of the ten agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also tasked with maintaining and expanding existing rail systems, ensuring the ability of the rail industry to meet growing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in regional and national system planning.
The main responsibility of the federal government in the railway industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has several divisions which oversee the country's passenger and freight railway operations. The largest of these is the Office of Railroad Safety, with about 350 safety inspectors. It is responsible for conducting inspections to ensure the compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines: track signal and train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices as well as hazmat and highway rail grade crossings.
FRA has several departments, such as the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. It oversees programs that are meant to improve passenger and freight rail transportation, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for granting grants given to railways, and collaborates with other agencies to determine the nation's rail requirements.
Another important duty of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws that pertain to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads from discriminate against workers and making sure that all injured railway staff are taken to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from denying or delaying medical treatment to injured railway employees.
The FRA is the primary regulator of the freight and passenger railway industries, but there are other organizations that oversee the economic aspects of rail transport. The Surface Transportation Board, for example is responsible for setting rates and managing the economics of the sector. It is also the regulator for railroad mergers, line-sales, construction and abandonment. After a period of public consultation the agency is responsible for establishing regulations that will allow anyone to report any suspected rail safety violations.
Functions
Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in the developed world as well as villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials from manufacturing and processing facilities, and then finished products from these facilities to warehouses or stores. Rail is a crucial mode of transportation for a variety of essential commodities, including oil, grains, and coal. In 2020, freight rail transported more than a quarter of nation's total freight volumes [PDFThe PDF file contains.
The federal railroad is run like any other business. It has departments for marketing and sale, operations, and an executive department. The department for marketing and sales works with potential and current customers to determine what kind of rail services they need and the amount they should cost. The operations department then creates rail services that meet these needs at the cheapest cost to make money for railroads. The executive department oversees the entire operation and ensures that each department is operating efficiently.
The government supports the railways in a variety of ways, from grants to subsidized rates for shipping government traffic. Congress also provides funds to build stations and tracks. These subsidies are usually in addition to the revenues railroads receive from tickets and freight contracts.
Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi-public for-profit company with a huge shareholder that is the United States government.
The primary function of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical conditions of trains, as well as the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also gathers and analyzes data on rail safety in order to identify trends and areas that may require more or better regulatory attention.
In addition to these fundamental duties, FRA works on various other projects related to improving the security and economy of railway 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 safety system that utilizes sensors and computers to stop a train in the event that it is too close to another object or vehicle.
History
In the 1820s-1830s, the first railroads in America were built, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. The railroads increased industrialization and brought more food items to market in these areas. This allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent upon imports from abroad, which in turn resulted in a solid economic base.
In the latter half of the nineteenth century the railroad industry went through a "Golden Age," during which many new trains that were more efficient were built and passenger travel via train became more popular. The government's efforts to expand the railroad system was a major reason. The government, for instance provided land grants to homesteaders in order to encourage them to settle the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to construct the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.
However in the early part of the 20th century, demand for passenger railroad services declined and other modes of transportation such as cars and airplanes gained popularity, while the stifling of regulations choked railroads competitiveness economically. The industry was plagued by a succession of bankruptcies, service cuts, and deferred maintenance. Additionally, a misguided federal railway regulations caused the decline of the industry.
In the year 1970, the federal government began to loosen the regulatory restrictions on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic issues such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also established, which is responsible for establishing rules for safety in rail and is among the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that supervises passenger and freight transportation.
Since then, a great deal of investment has been made in the country's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, in order to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There have also been efforts to create more efficient freight rail systems. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its partnership with all transportation agencies to ensure safe and reliable railroads. It is the agency's job to help make sure that the transportation system of the United States operates as efficiently as it can.